About Hemiphlebia mirabilis Selys, 1868
Hemiphlebia, commonly known as the ancient greenling, is a monotypic genus of damselfly containing just one species, Hemiphlebia mirabilis, and it is the only living genus in the family Hemiphlebiidae. This species is very small, with a long, metallic-green body and clear wings. It is endemic to south-eastern Australia, and its natural swamp habitat is threatened by habitat loss. The oldest known members of the family Hemiphlebiidae date back to the Late Jurassic. The ancient greenling has only been recorded at a small number of scattered locations across south-eastern Australia: these include King Island and Mount William in Tasmania; Wilsons Promontory National Park and the area near Yea in Victoria; and Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park in south-eastern South Australia. Its recorded habitats include permanent freshwater ponds, riverine lagoons, and swamps that may dry out seasonally. A favoured site discovered in 2008, Long Swamp in south-western Victoria's Discovery Bay Coastal Park, holds extensive areas of twig-rush (Baumea sp.). This site is seasonally flooded, and dries out completely by late summer.
