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Dragonflies
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Adult dragonflies are characterised by a pair of large, multifaceted, compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the closely related damselflies, which make up the other odonatan infraorder ( Zygoptera) and are similar in body plan, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, alo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odonata
Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies (as well as the '' Epiophlebia'' damsel-dragonflies). The two major groups are distinguished with dragonflies (Anisoptera) usually being bulkier with large compound eyes together and wings spread up or out at rest, while damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are usually more slender with eyes placed apart and wings folded together along body at rest. Adult odonates can land and perch, but rarely walk. All odonates have aquatic larvae called naiads or nymphs, and all of them, larvae and adults, are carnivorous and are almost entirely insectivorous, although at the larval stage they will eat anything that they can overpower, including small fish, tadpoles, and even adult newts. The adults are superb aerial hunters and their legs are specialised for catching prey in flight. Odonata in its narrow sense forms a subgroup of the broader Odonatoptera, which contains other dragonfly-like insects ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damselflies
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. Damselflies have existed since the Late Jurassic, and are found on every continent except Antarctica. All damselflies are predatory insects: both nymphs and adults actively hunt and eat other insects. The nymphs are aquatic, with different species living in a variety of freshwater habitats including acidic bogs, ponds, lakes and rivers. The nymphs moult repeatedly, at the last moult climbing out of the water to undergo metamorphosis. The skin splits down the back, they emerge and inflate their wings and abdomen to gain their adult form. Their presence on a body of water indicates that it is relatively unpolluted, but their dependence on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Insect Wing
Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insect flight, insects to fly. They are found on the second and third Thorax (insect anatomy), thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings, respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments. The wings are strengthened by a number of longitudinal veins, which often have cross-connections that form closed "cells" in the membrane (extreme examples include the Odonata, dragonflies and Neuroptera, lacewings). The patterns resulting from the fusion and cross-connection of the wing veins are often diagnostic for different evolutionary lineages and can be used for identification to the family (biology), family or even genus level in many order (biology), orders of insects. Physically, some insects move their flight muscles directly, others indirectly. In insects with direct flight, the wing muscles directly attach to the win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cordulegastridae
The Cordulegastridae are a family of Odonata (dragonflies) from the suborder Anisoptera. They are commonly known as spiketails. Some vernacular names for the species of this family are biddie and flying adder. They have large, brown or black bodies with yellow markings, and narrow unpatterned wings. Their bright eyes touch at a single point, and they can be found along small, clear, woodland streams, flying slowly 30 to 70 cm above the water. When disturbed, however, they can fly very rapidly. They usually hunt high in forest vegetation, and prefer to capture prey resting on leaves or branches (known as gleaning). Taxonomy Within the family Cordulegastridae there are 51 species amongst three different genera. These genera include Anotogaster, Cordulegaster, and Neallogaster, which have 15, 30, and 6 species respectively The name Cordulegastridae comes from the Ancient Greek, Greek ''kordylinus'', 'club-shaped' and ''gaster'', belly. The common name spiketails refers to th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeshnidae
Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies, found nearly worldwide, with more than 50 genera and over 450 species. The family includes some of the largest dragonflies. Description Common worldwide or nearly worldwide genera are '' Aeshna'' and '' Anax''. ''Anax'' includes some of the largest dragonflies, including the North American '' A. walsinghami'', Hawaiian '' A. strenuus'', European '' A. imperator'' and '' A. immaculifrons'', and African '' A. tristis'', but these are all exceeded by another member of the family, the Asian '' Tetracanthagyna plagiata'', which by wingspan and weight is the world's largest dragonfly. There are 41 North American species in 11 genera in this family. Most European species belong to ''Aeshna''. Their American name "darner" stems from the female abdomens looking like a sewing needle, as they cut into plant stem when they lay their eggs through the ovipositor. The dragonflies mate in flight. The eggs are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gomphidae
The Gomphidae are a family of dragonflies commonly referred to as clubtails or club-tailed dragonflies. The family contains about 90 genera and 900 species found across North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. The name refers to the club-like widening of the end of the abdomen (abdominal segments 7 through 9). However, this club is usually less pronounced in females and is entirely absent in some species. Etymology The name is from Greek ''gomphos'', "bolt, nail", for the shape of the insect's abdomen. Characteristics Clubtails have small, widely separated compound eyes, a trait they share with the Petaluridae and with damselflies. The eyes are blue, turquoise, or green. The thorax in most species is pale with dark stripes, and the pattern of the stripes is often diagnostic. They lack the bright metallic colors of many dragonfly groups and are mostly cryptically colored to avoid detection and little difference between the sexes is seen. Adults are usually ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Petaluridae
The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonfly, dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic, over 150 million years ago. A 2024 molecular phylogeny found that the petaltails comprise two Clade, clades, a Gondwana, Gondwanan clade and a Laurasia, Laurasian clade. Their Divergence time estimation, divergence time was estimated at 160 million years ago. Modern petalurids include only 11 species, one of which, the Australian ''Petalura ingentissima'', is by some measurements the largest of living dragonflies, having a wingspan of up to about and a body length of about (''Tetracanthagyna plagiata'' of another family can match or exceed its wingspan). Another large Australian species is ''Petalura gigantea'', commonly known as the giant dragonfly. In the United States, two species are found, ''Tanypteryx hageni'' in the west and ''Tachopteryx thoreyi'' in the east. The larvae live primarily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synthemistidae
The Synthemistidae are the family of dragonflies commonly known as tigertails, or sometimes called southern emeralds. This family is part of the superfamily Libelluloidea. Synthemistidae is an ancient dragonfly family, with some species occurring in Australia and New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is .... Most species are small in size and have narrow abdomens. Their nymphs are bottom dwellers, and resist droughts by burying themselves very deeply. Synthemistid dragonflies frequently prefer marshy areas, as well as fast-flowing streams. The family Synthemistidae is sometimes called Synthemidae. Genera The family Synthemistidae includes the following genera: * '' Apocordulia'' * '' Archaeophya'' * '' Archaeosynthemis'' * '' Austrocordulia'' * '' Austro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libelluloidea
Libelluloidea is a superfamily of dragonflies. A 2013 phylogenetic analysis suggests that this superfamily contains four families: *Corduliidae Selys, 1850 *Libellulidae Leach, 1815 * Macromiidae Needham, 1903 *Synthemistidae Tillyard, 1911 Recent taxonomic changes The following dragonfly families are now considered invalid or potentially disputed:Ware, J., May, M., & Kjer, K. (2007)Phylogeny of the higher Libelluloidea (Anisoptera: Odonata): an exploration of the most speciose superfamily of dragonflies.''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'', 45(1), 289-310. * Pseudocorduliidae * Gomphomacromiidae * Cordulephyidae * Austrocorduliidae * Oxygastridae * Idomacromiidae * Hemicorduliidae * Urothemistidae The following genera are no longer assigned to a family and are now placed ''incertae sedis'' within this superfamily, Libelluloidea: *'' Apocordulia'' *'' Archaeophya'' *'' Austrocordulia'' *'' Austrophya'' *'' Cordulephya'' *'' Gomphomacromia'' *'' Hesperocordulia'' *'' Id ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chlorogomphidae
The Chlorogomphidae are a family of Odonata (dragonflies) from the suborder Anisoptera A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens ..., native to Asia. References * Cordulegastroidea Odonata families Taxa named by James George Needham {{Cordulegastroidea-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libellulidae
The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded (as Silsby does), there remains a family of over 1000 species. With nearly worldwide distribution, these are the most commonly encountered dragonflies. The genus '' Libellula'' is mostly New World but also has one of the few endangered odonates from Japan: '' Libellula angelina''. Many of the members of this genus are brightly colored or have banded wings. The related genus '' Plathemis'' includes the whitetails. The genus '' Celithemis'' contains several brightly marked species in the southern United States. Members of the genus '' Sympetrum'' are called darters (or meadowhawks in North America) and are found throughout most of the world, except Australia. Several tropical species in the genera '' Tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corduliidae
Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies, or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-green eyes. The larvae are black, hairy-looking, and usually semiaquatic. This family include species called "baskettails", "emeralds", "sundragons", "shadowdragons", and "boghaunters". They are not uncommon and are found nearly worldwide, but some individual species are quite rare. Hine's emerald dragonfly (''Somatochlora hineana''), for example, is an endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ... in the United States. Corduliidae are known to occasionally take quantities of their eggs at the tip of their stomach, befor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
