Lestes helix Ris, 1918

Fig. 5G (♁ head), Fig. 8A–C (♁ pterothorax), Fig. 9M–N (♁ genital ligula), Fig.11I–J (♁ caudal appendages), Fig. 16 (distribution).

Etymology: helix, Greek (ελιξ) spiral, round, curved in reference to the curved apex of male cerci.

Type locality: Pachitea, Peru .

Distribution: Colombia (Amazonas, Guainía, Guaviare, Meta, Vaupés), Peru, Venezuela.

Female described: No Larva described: No

Altitudinal range: 88–495 m IUCN status: LC— von Ellenrieder (2009c)

Records in previous references: Bota-Sierra (2014a), Bota-Sierra et al. (2015), Aristizabal-Botero et al. (2022)

Material examined: (2♁♁, 1♀). Colombia, Guainía, Inírida, comunidad Coco Viejo, 3.9075N, 67.9089W, 83 m, 30-7-2014, A. Aristizabal, E. Realpe, J. Sierra, P. Sarmiento leg., 1♁ (ANDES-E 21579) ; Amazonas, Apaporis, río Sorotama, 1.0471N, 70.2241W, 103 m, 1♀ (ICN) ; Guaviare, Reserva natural Nukak Maku, Cerro Moyano, 2.1771N, 71.1901W, 153 m, 1♁ (ICN) .

Morphological characteristics (male): head mostly dark brown except posterior margin, labrum, clypeus, and mandibles pale blue (Figs. 5G, 8A–C); pterothorax dark brown, black antehumeral stripe with metallic luster; lateral black stripe occupying dorsal 0.5 of mesepimeron and mesinfraepisternum; (Fig. 8A–B); pectum pale, metepimeron with two large subtriangular black spots reaching metapleural suture and two smaller at the end of the metathoracic suture (Fig. 8C). Genital ligula rectangular, internal fold width more than 1/3 of S2 (Fig. 9M), surface entire, reaching anterior fold of S2 (Fig. 9N). Cerci long, with a bicuspid lobe in basal portion; edge of medial portion irregular; primary curvature type II (Fig. 11I); secondary curvature type III (Fig. 11H). Apophyses of paraprocts almost 1/3 of cerci length, apices curved (Fig. 11J).

Remarks: This species is known from a few localities in Peru (Ris 1918; Schmidt 1942), Venezuela (De Marmels et al. 2022), and Colombia (Bota-Sierra 2014a; Bota-Sierra et al. 2015). In Colombia, it occurs in the Amazon and Orinoquia regions and males are easily recognizable due to the unique cerci shape.