Gomphomacromiidae
family of dragonflies
Gomphomacromiidae is a small family of dragonflies within the superfamily Libelluloidea, occurring both in southern South America (Chile) and Australia.
The family comprises two genera, Archaeophya and Gomphomacromia, together containing a small number of species characterised by a combination of morphological traits that historically made their higher-level placement uncertain.
Taxonomic history
Gomphomacromiidae has had a complicated taxonomic history. Although its genera were usually considered part of the superfamily Libelluloidea, the exact placement of Archaeophya was uncertain for many years, and it was often treated as incertae sedis by different authors.
Molecular and morphological studies published in 2025 helped to clarify this situation. These studies showed that Archaeophya and Gomphomacromia are closely related and form a distinct group within Libelluloidea, supporting their placement together in the family Gomphomacromiidae.
This arrangement, including both genera in Gomphomacromiidae, is followed by the World Odonata List (2025).
Genera
The following genera are currently placed in Gomphomacromiidae:
Archaeophya Fraser, 1959
Gomphomacromia Brauer, 1864
Etymology
The family name Gomphomacromiidae is derived from the type genus Gomphomacromia, with the standard zoological suffix -idae used for animal families.
The genus name Gomphomacromia is itself derived from the genera Gomphus and Macromia, whose names are derived from the Greek γόμφος (gomphos, "bolt" or "nail") and μακρός (makros, "long") respectively.
The public source identifies “Gomphomacromiidae” as family of dragonflies. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Gomphomacromiidae, family and dragonflies.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gomphomacromiidae” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.