Lestes is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of damselfly

Damselfly

Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...

 in family Lestidae

Lestidae

Lestidae is a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies. They are of the order of the dragonflies and are commonly known as "Spreadwings." There are two subfamilies in Lestdae. The first subfamily is Lestinae. Damselflies in Lestinae rest with their wings partly open...

. The family hold their wings at about 45 degrees to the body when resting. This distinguishes them from most other species of damselflies which hold the wings along, and parallel to, the body when at rest.

The name Lestes comes from the Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 word ληστησ meaning predator.

The genus contains the following species:

• Lestes alacer – Plateau Spreadwing
• Lestes alfonsoi
• Lestes amicus
  Lestes amicus
  Lestes amicus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly the Republic of the Congo, and possibly the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
  
  
• Lestes angularis
• Lestes apollinaris
• Lestes auripennis
• Lestes auritus
• Lestes australis – Southern Spreadwing
• Lestes barbarus
  Lestes barbarus
  Lestes barbarus is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has the typical appearance of a Lestes damselfly; it has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name in English is the Migrant Spreadwing but in Great Britain it is often known as the Southern...
  
  – Southern Emerald Damselfly, Migrant Spreadwing
• Lestes basidens
• Lestes bipupillatus
• Lestes concinnus
• Lestes congener – Spotted Spreadwing
• Lestes curvatus
• Lestes debellardi
• Lestes dichrostigma
• Lestes disjunctus – Northern Spreadwing
• Lestes dissimulans
  Lestes dissimulans
  Lestes dissimulans is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly...
  
  
• Lestes dorothea
• Lestes dryas
  Lestes dryas
  Lestes dryas is a species of damselfly which is found across Europe, Asia and North America. In North America it is known as the Emerald Spreadwing and this name is becoming more widely used in Europe. In Britain, it is very rare so its common name is the Scarce Emerald Damselfly. An alternate name...
  
  – Emerald Spreadwing, Scarce Emerald Damselfly, Robust Spreadwing, Turlough Spreadwing
• Lestes elatus
• Lestes eurinus – Amber-winged Spreadwing
• Lestes falcifer
• Lestes fernandoi
• Lestes forcipatus – Sweetflag Spreadwing
• Lestes forficula – Rainpool Spreadwing
• Lestes garoensis
• Lestes helix
• Lestes henshawi
• Lestes ictericus
  Lestes ictericus
  Lestes ictericus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Burundi, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe...
  
  
• Lestes inaequalis – Elegant Spreadwing
• Lestes japonicus
• Lestes jerrelli
• Lestes jurzitzai
• Lestes macrostigma
  Lestes macrostigma
  Lestes macrostigma is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. Its common name is the Dark Emerald Damselfly or Dark Spreadwing and it has the typical appearance of a Lestes damselfly; it has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. It is usually found in brackish...
  
  – Dark Emerald Damselfly or Dark Spreadwing
• Lestes malabaricus
• Lestes malaisei
• Lestes minutus
• Lestes nigriceps
• Lestes nodalis
• Lestes numidicus
  Lestes numidicus
  Lestes numidicus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Algeria, possibly France, and possibly Spain. Its natural habitats are freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marches, and ponds. It is threatened by habitat...
  
  
• Lestes ochraceus
  Lestes ochraceus
  Lestes ochraceus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi...
  
  
• Lestes pallidus
  Lestes pallidus
  Lestes pallidus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Botswana, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly...
  
  
• Lestes patricia
• Lestes paulistus
• Lestes pictus
• Lestes pinheyi
  Lestes pinheyi
  Lestes pinheyi is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae. It is found in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly the Republic of the Congo...
  
  
• Lestes plagiatus
  Lestes plagiatus
  Lestes plagiatus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae. It is also known as the common spreadwing.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi...
  
  
• Lestes praecellens
• Lestes praemorsus
• Lestes praevius
• Lestes pruinescens
• Lestes quadristriatus
• Lestes rectangularis
  Lestes rectangularis
  Lestes rectangularis is a species of damselfly commonly called the slender spreadwing.Adults are about long, with a wingspan of . Its wings are translucent in contrast to a long, slender abdomen. The eyes are blue and there is a blue shoulder stripe. L. rectangularis can be distinguished from...
  
  – Slender Spreadwing
• Lestes regulatus
• Lestes scalaris
• Lestes secula
• Lestes sigma – Chalky Spreadwing
• Lestes silvaticus
• Lestes simplex
• Lestes simulatrix
• Lestes spatula
• Lestes sponsa
  Lestes sponsa
  Lestes sponsa, is a damselfly, with a wide Palaeartic distribution. It is known commonly as the Emerald Damselfly or Common Spreadwing. Both males and females have a metallic green colour and when resting its wings are usually half opened....
  
  – Emerald Damselfly, Common Spreadwing
• Lestes spumarius – Antillean Spreadwing
• Lestes sternalis
• Lestes stultus – Black Spreadwing
• Lestes temporalis
• Lestes tenuatus – Blue-striped Spreadwing
• Lestes thoracicus
• Lestes tikalus
• Lestes trichonus
• Lestes tricolor
• Lestes tridens
  Lestes tridens
  Lestes tridens is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi...
  
  
• Lestes umbrinus
• Lestes uncifer
  Lestes uncifer
  Lestes uncifer is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Burundi, and possibly the Republic of the Congo...
  
  
• Lestes undulatus
• Lestes unguiculatus – Lyre-tipped Spreadwing
• Lestes urubamba
• Lestes vidua – Carolina Spreadwing
• Lestes vigilax
  Lestes vigilax
  The Swamp Spreadwing is a member of the Lestes genus, it grows between 42 and 55 mm. It ranges from eastern North America west to Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Texas, and to Georgia and South Carolina. It is most commonly seen between May and October....
  
  – Swamp Spreadwing
• Lestes virens
  Lestes virens
  The Small Emerald Damselfly or Small Spreadwing, Lestes virens is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has the typical appearance of a Lestes damselfly; it has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body....
  
  – Small Emerald Damselfly, Small Spreadwing
• Lestes virgatus
  Lestes virgatus
  Lestes virgatus is a species of damselfly in family Lestidae.It is found in Angola, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi...
  
  
• Lestes viridulus