Which damselfly family holds its wings away from the body at rest and has a pterostigma on the wing?

• A. Lestidae
• B. Coenagrionidae
• C. Libellulidae
• D. Aeshnidae

Answer: (A)

Wings held away from the body at rest are characteristic of the spreadwing damselflies. This posture, where the wings are opened partly rather than held closed along the abdomen, is a hallmark of the Lestidae family. In addition, members of this family have a pterostigma, a darkened, thickened cell near the wing tip, on each wing. The combination of a spread-wing resting posture and the presence of a pterostigma identifies this group. Other damselfly families typically rest with their wings closed along the abdomen, and the other options include dragonflies, which are not damselflies, so they don’t share this distinctive resting posture.