Fossil dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands, western North America

Abstract

We describe the first dragonflies (Odonata: Anisoptera) from the early Eocene Okanagan Highlands of far-western North America from nine fossils. Six are assigned to five species in four new, named genera of Aeshnidae: Antiquiala snyderae new genus and species, Idemlinea versatilis new genus and species, Ypshna brownleei new genus and species, Ypshna latipennata new genus and species, and Eoshna thompsonensis new genus and species; we treat one as Aeshnidae genus A, species A; one is assigned to Gomphidae: Auroradraco eos new genus and species; and we treat a ninth, fragmentary fossil of unknown family affinity as Anisoptera indeterminate genus A, species A, which represents a seventh genus and eighth species. The dominance of Aeshnidae is consistent with other Paleocene and Eocene fossil localities. Auroradraco eos is the only fossil Gomphidae in the roughly 66-million-year gap between occurrences in mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber and the early Oligocene of France. Ypshna appears close to Parabaissaeshna ejerslevense from the early Eocene Fur Formation of Denmark; this is not surprising given Holarctic intercontinental connections at this time and a growing list of insect taxa shared between the Okanagan Highlands and the Fur Formation.