Protoneuridae are a family of damselflies with a broadly tropical distribution. They share many wing vein and larval characters with Coenagrionidae. The chief differences are that the anal vein is altogether missing and the cubital vein is short, never extending more than two cells beyond the discoidal cell. Australia has 12 species all in the genus
Most species are stream-dwellers or riverine. All are black marked with either orange, yellow, or a pale blue-green. Some species have brown bands on the wings. The common south-eastern
has wider habitat tolerances than most, inhabiting streams, rivers, lakes, and pools including stagnant water. The wings are suffused with yellow at their base, sometimes to beyond the nodus. The abdomen in Protoneuridae typically is very thin, approximating the condition found in Isostictidae. Some N.T. and north-western species have a very restricted range.