Abstract

The Mesozoic ‘anisozygopteran’ clade Isophlebiida Bechly, 1996 is quite diverse with more than 48 described genera, especially in the two families Campterophlebiidae Handlirsch, 1920 and Isophlebiidae Handlirsch, 1906, in which numerous new genera have been recently described mainly from China (see Fossilworks: Gateway to the Paleobiology Database at http://fossilworks.org/). However, this is not the case for the more inclusive isophlebiopteran clades Euthemistidae Pritykina, 1968, Parazygoptera Bechly, 1997, and Selenothemistidae Handlirsch, 1939, that comprise ca. 25 described genera. These last groups comprise relatively small and delicate damsel-dragonflies, compared to the Isophlebiida. Thus, their lower diversity is possibly a result of taphonomic bias. They are mainly known from Europe, Central Asia and China.