RECOGNITION OF THE FIRST FOSSIL LESTOID DAMSELFLY IN SOUTH AMERICA (INSECTA: ZYGOPTERA): BIOGEOGRAPHIC AND PHYLOGENETIC REMARKS

The specimen studied here represents the first fossil Euzygoptera Bechly, 1996 described in South America. The lack of fossil damselflies from this subcontinent is probably an artifact related to the scarcity of fossil insect collections. Differences in the world fossil record of these insects (as many others) could be correlated to the level of activity of researchers in the different continents. Thus the fossil Lestinoidea Calvert, 1901 (sensu Bechly, 1996) are mainly known from Europe (Nel and Paicheler, 1994) where a long history of paleoentomology (and paleontology of Odonata) took place. From North America there is only one record in the Eocene of the USA (Cockerell, 1940), despite an ancient and long activity in this field. From Asia the group is known from the Oligo-Miocene of Turkey (Nel and Paicheler, 1994) and from the Miocene of Japan (Fujiyama, 1985). What does not fit in this hypothesis is the curious lack of records from Asia, despite the high number of paleoentomologists of the Russian school. The possible explanation of this could be that Russian researchers have preferred historically to study Paleozoic and Mesozoic rather than Cenozoic insects. Thus, due to the recent increasing number of paleoentomologists, new discoveries similar to the present one shall probably modify the present fragmentary fossil record of Lestinoidea.