A taxonomic problem: “Is Mnesarete the most famous Hetearina?” Insights using a molecular phylogenetic analysis (Odonata: Calopterygidae)

Riverine damselflies of the family Calopterygidae occur on all continents except Australia and Antartica. Sixty-seven of the 73 species distributed in the New World are members of the exclusively Neotropical subfamily Hetaerininae. Unique combinations of morphological traits make the subfamily easily to recognize. However,  species resolution has been challenging due to superfluous names in the literature, lack of access to type material and overall morphological similarity among species. Garrison (1990; 2006) revised the genera Hetaerina and Mnesarete and he discussed the difficulty in both species delimitation and in establishing a phylogenetic analysis among these taxa based on morphology. Here, nine species of Hetaerina and two of Mnesarete where sampled in USA, Colombia, Guyana and Ecuador to reconstruct a molecular phylogeny using the genes COI and the hypervariable loop of the 28S D2. Our results suggest that the species of Mnesarete are clustered within  the genus Hetearina. The M. deprane and M. metallica clade is a reciprocal monophyletic clade with  Hetaerina caja. This is consistent with Garrison's discussion about the problematic definition of the genus Mnesarete.