title: The thorax morphology of Epiophlebia (Insecta: Odonata) nymphs--including remarks on ontogenesis and evolution.
abstract: The species of Epiophlebia are unique among the recent Odonata in showing a mixture of morphological characters of dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). The status of the four described extant species of Epiophlebia is disputable from a genetic as well as from a morphological point of view. Here we present an analysis of the thoracic musculature of different nymphal instars of Epiophlebia laidlawi and Epiophlebia superstes to elucidate their morphology and ontogenetic development. In total, 75 muscles have been identified in the thorax of Epiophlebia. This represents the highest number of thoracic muscles ever found in any odonate. It includes six muscles that are reported for the first time for Odonata, and three of these are even new for Pterygota. In total, our results indicate that Epiophlebia has the most ancestral thoracic morphology among Odonata.
authors.affiliation: University Museum of Zoology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Büsse
authors.affiliation: J.- F.- Blumenbach Institute for Zoology &Anthropology, Department Morphology, Systematics &Evolutionary Biology Georg-August-University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Helmker
authors.affiliation: J.- F.- Blumenbach Institute for Zoology &Anthropology, Department Morphology, Systematics &Evolutionary Biology Georg-August-University Göttingen, Berliner Str. 28, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hörnschemeyer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D009758:Nymph / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D063191:Odonata / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013909:Thorax / Q000033:anatomy & histology*