dragonfly

 

any insect of the order Odonata, which also includes the damselfly. Members of this order are generally large predatory insects and characteristically have chewing mouthparts and four membranous, net-veined wings; they undergo complete metamorphosis. Species are found throughout the world except in the polar regions; the greatest variety occurs in the tropics. Dragonflies, which are commonly called horse stingers and devil's darning needles, are strong fliers with elongated bodies; they rest with their wings outstretched. Some are 5 in. (12.7 cm) long. Damselflies are smaller, with slender, often brilliantly colored, bodies and rest with their wings folded back. Both lay eggs on or near water. The nymphs are aquatic and breathe by means of gills located at the end of the abdomen; the gills can also be used for propulsion through the water. The nymphs feed on insect larvae and are an important food for fish and birds. When grown, they crawl up out of the water and molt. Most species produce a single generation each year, with the nymph stage usually overwintering. Both nymphs and adults prey on mosquitoes and other insects and are harmless, indeed beneficial, to humans. Fossil remains of a form from the Permian period, with a wingspread of 2¹/₂ ft (76 cm), were found in Kansas. Dragonflies are classified in the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, order Odonata.

Dragonfly
Yellow-winged Darter
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Odonata Suborder: Epiprocta Infraorder: Anisoptera Selys, 1854
Families
Aeshnidae Austropetaliidae Cordulegastridae Corduliidae Gomphidae Libellulidae Macromiidae Neopetaliidae Petaluridae

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body.

Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not normally bite or sting humans (though they will bite in order to escape, if grasped by the abdomen); in fact, they are valued as a predator that helps control the populations of harmful insects, such as mosquitoes. It is because of this that dragonflies are sometimes called "mosquito hawks" in North America, along with crane flies (which, in fact, do not eat mosquitoes).

Life cycle

Female dragonflies lay eggs in or near water, often in or on floating or emergent plants. Some species when laying eggs will submerge themselves completely just to lay their eggs in a suitable place. Most of the life of the dragonfly is spent in the larval, (naiad, aka nymph) form, beneath the water surface, using internal gills to breathe, and using extendable jaws to catch other invertebrates or even vertebrates such as tadpoles and fish. The larvae of large dragonflies may live as long as five years, or two months to three years in smaller species. When the the larva is ready to metamorphose into an adult, it climbs up a reed or other emergent plant at night, and when it does the breathing pattern changes inside the larvae's body. Then the skin splits at a weak spot behind the head and the adult dragonfly crawls out of its old larval skin, waits for the sun to rise, pumps up its wings and flies off to feed on midges and flies. In the adult stage, larger species of dragonfly can live as long as four months.

Classification

Ancient dragonflies ("Anisozygoptera")

Conventionally, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank beside the ancient dragonflies ("Anisozygoptera", two living species and numerous fossil ones), but it has been determined recently that the Anisozygoptera form a paraphyletic assemblage of primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera are reduced to an infraorder, forming the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in a general sense). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being recognized as largely extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution.

The oldest known species of dragonfly is the 320 million year old Delitzschala bitterfeldensis. Another old genus is Namurotypus.

Dragonflies vs. damselflies

Damselflies (Suborder Zygoptera) are often confused with dragonflies, but the two insects are distinct: most damselflies at rest hold their wings together above the body or held slightly open above (such as in the family Lestidae), whereas dragonflies at rest hold their wings horizontally or occasionally slightly down and forward. Also, the hindwing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body, while the hindwing of the damselfly is essentially similar to the forewing. The eyes on a damselfly are separated; in most dragonflies the eyes touch, with notable exceptions to this being in the Petaluridae (Petaltails) and the Gomphidae (Clubtails). Both are members of the Odonata, making their life cycles similar.

Some common species of the Northern Hemisphere

Emperor, Anax imperator Keeled Skimmer, Orthetrum coerulescens Black-tailed Skimmer, Orthetrum cancellatum Common Whitetail, Libellula lydia Migrant Hawker, Aeshna mixta Azure Hawker, Aeshna caerulea Southern Hawker, Aeshna cyanea Norfolk Hawker, Aeshna isosceles Common Hawker, Aeshna juncea Red-veined Darter, Sympetrum fonscolombii Common Darter, Sympetrum striolatum Vagrant Darter, Sympetrum vulgatum

Yellow-winged Darter, Sympetrum flaveolum Broad-bodied Chaser, Libellula depressa Four-spotted Chaser, Libellula quadrimaculata Scarce Chaser, Libellula fulva Green Darner, Anax junius Downy Emerald, Cordulia aenea Blue-eyed Darner, Aeshna multicolor Roseate Skimmer, Orthemis ferruginea Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa Great Pondhawk, Erythemis vesiculosa Comet Darner, Anax longipes Banded Pennant, Celithemis fasciata

Some common species of the Southern Hemisphere

Glistening Demoiselle Phaon iridipennis Dancing Jewel Platycypha caligata Mountain Malachite Chlorolestes fasciatus Common Spreadwing Lestes plagiatus Common Threadtail Elattoneura glauca Goldtail Allocnemis leucosticta Swamp Bluet Africallagma glaucum Pinhey's Whisp Agriocnemis pinheyi Black-tailed Bluet Azuragrion nigridorsum Common Citril Ceriagrion glabrum Yellow-faced Sprite Pseudagrion citricola Gambel's Sprite Pseudagrion gamblesi Hagen's Sprite Pseudagrion hageni

Hamon's Sprite Pseudagrion hamoni Kersten's Sprite Psuedagrion kersteni Masai Sprite Pseudagrion massaicum Salisbury Sprite Pseudagrion salisburyense Natal Sprite Pseudagrion spernatum Orange Emperor Anax speratus Common Thorntail Ceratogomphus pictus Yellowjack Notogomphus praetorius Rock Hooktail Paragomphus cognatus Acisoma Acisoma panorpoides and Acisoma trifidum Banded Groundling Brachythemis leucosticta Broad Scarlet Crocothemis erythraea

Little Scarlet Crocothemis sanguinolenta Black Percher Diplacodes lefebvrii Black-tailed Skimmer Nesciothemis farinosa Two-striped Skimmer Orthetrum caffrum Epaulet Skimmer Orthetrum chrysostigma Julia Skimmer Orthetrum julia St. Lucia Widow Palpopleura portia Nomad Sympetrum fonscolombii Red-veined Dropwing Trithemas arteriosa Navy Dropwing Trithemis furva Kirby's Dropwing Trithemis kirbyi Jaunty Dropwing Trithemis stictica

Dragonflies in culture

In Europe, dragonflies have often been viewed as sinister. Some English vernacular names, such as "devil's needle" and "ear cutter", link them with evil or injury.^[1] A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil, and Swedish folklore holds that the devil uses dragonflies to weigh people's souls.^[2] Another Swedish legend holds that trolls use the dragonflies as spindles when weaving their clothes (hence the Swedish word for dragonfly trollslända, lit. "troll's spindle") as well as sending them to poke out the eyes of their enemies.^{[citation needed]} The Norwegian name for dragonflies is "Øyenstikker", which literally means Eye Poker. They are often associated with snakes, as in the Welsh name gwas-y-neidr, "adder's servant".^[1] The Southern United States term "snake doctor" refers to a folk belief that dragonflies follow snakes around and stitch them back together if they are injured.^[3] The Lithuanian word "Laumžirgis" is a composite word meaning "the Lauma's horse", while in Dutch, Aeshna mixta is called "Paardenbijter" or "horse biter". In some South American countries, dragonflies are also called matacaballo (horse killer), or caballito del diablo (devil's horse), since they were perceived as harmful, some species being quite large for an insect.

In East Asia and among Native Americans, dragonflies have a far better reputation, one that can also be said to have positively influenced modern day views about dragonflies in most countries.

For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for the Navajo they symbolize pure water. Dragonflies are a common motif in Zuni pottery; stylized as a double-barred cross, they appear in Hopi rock art and on Pueblo necklaces.^[4] It is said in some Native American beliefs that dragonflies are a symbol of renewal after a time of great hardship.

In Japan dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength, and happiness, and they often appear in art and literature, especially haiku. In ancient mythology, Japan was known as Akitsushima, which means "Land of the Dragonflies". The love for dragonflies is reflected by the fact that there are traditional names for almost all of the 200 species of dragonflies found in and around Japan.^[5] Japanese children catch large dragonflies as a game, using a hair with a small pebble tied to each end, which they throw into the air. The dragonfly mistakes the pebbles for prey, gets tangled in the hair, and is dragged to the ground by the weight.^[6]

They also have traditional uses as medicine in Japan and China. In some parts of the world they are a food source, eaten either as adults or larvae; in Indonesia, for example, they are caught on poles made sticky with birdlime, then fried in oil as a delicacy.^[1]

Vietnamese people have a traditional way to forecast rain by seeing dragonflies: "Chuồn chuồn bay thấp thì mưa, bay cao thì nắng, bay vừa thì râm" (Dragonflies fly at low level, it is rainy; dragonflies fly at high level, it is sunny; dragonflies fly at medium level, it is shadowy).

Images of dragonflies were common in Art Nouveau, especially in jewelry designs.^[7] They have also been used as a decorative motif on fabrics and home furnishings.^[8]

Gallery

Australian blue dragonfly	African dragonfly perched on a leaf	Green Darner Dragonfly feeding on honey bee	Austrogomphus guerini
Ruby Meadowhawk dragonfly, Sympetrum rubicundulum	Dragonfly in midflight over a creek	The compound eyes of a dragonfly	Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, Sympetrum internum
Dragonflies mating	mating	mating	Dragonfly depositing eggs
Dragonfly from Lower Silesia (Poland) - bottom	Drksraaagonfly from Lower Silesia - top	Red-veined darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) in Romania
Indian pied paddy skimmer female	Indian pied paddy skimmer male	in Brazos Bend State Park, Texas, USA

References

See also

• Elliot Pinhey

External links

• Tree of Life Odonata
• Dragonfly at the Open Directory Project
• Dragonflies of North America - diagnostic photos and information
• Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
• British Dragonfly Society
• List of Anisoptera of the World
• Photos of most British species
• Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
• Green Explorer - Checklists, photogallery,... Dragonflies of Kerala, South India.
• Photogallery by Dan Bárta et al. + some texts in Czech
• DragonflyIndia Group
• PHAON (Pinhey's Heritage African Odonata Network)
• Odonatologica
• Photos of South African species
• Maps, photographs and additional information pertaining to the Odonata of North America
• Short film, Emergence of a Dragonflyzh-yue:蜻蜓

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