Dragonflies and Damselflies: Odonata - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Dragonflies And Damselflies And People, Conservation Status, Wandering Glider (pantala Flavescens): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET
live insects larvae freshwater
Dragonflies are found worldwide, except in frozen polar areas. They are especially abundant in the tropics.
The larvae are found in most standing and running freshwater habitats, where they live on the bottom, under stones, clinging to vegetation, or buried in mud or detritus (dih-TRY-tuhs), loose, tiny bits of plant and animal remains. A few species live in small air pockets inside the stems of plants, while others occupy wet burrows in the ground in forests and marshy areas. Adults live near all bodies of freshwater, where they search for food, mates, and places to lay their eggs.
Larvae are ambush predators (PREH-duh-ters), meaning that they sit and wait for a food animal to come within their reach. Adults actively hunt and capture and eat insects on the wing, using their spiny legs as a basket for scooping up mosquitoes, gnats, midges, and other small airborne insects. The larvae capture insects, worms, and even small fish and tadpoles with their lower lips.
Additional Topics
Odonates (OH-duh-nayts) have large eyes with ten thousand to thirty thousand individual lenses in each eye. The eyes of dragonflies meet, or almost meet, on the top of the head, while those of damselflies are widely separated, giving them a "barbell" look when viewed head on. The adults have four wings. The wingspans range from 0.8 to 6.5 inches (20.3 to 165 millimeters). Dragonfly w…
Dragonflies always perch with their wings flat and spread apart, while damselflies usually hold their wings together over the body when they are at rest. The exceptions to this rule are the damselflies known as spreadwings, which keep their wings angled away from their bodies at rest. Dragonflies regulate body temperature by assuming different postures, ways of holding their bodies, and selecting …
Despite the menacing common names given to them, such as "devil's darning needles" or "horse stingers," odonates are harmless and are unable to sting. They eat large numbers of harmful insects, especially disease-carrying mosquitoes. Their presence or absence in bodies of freshwater is used as a measure of water quality. In fact, the Navaho Indians use dragonflie…
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists two species as Extinct, meaning that no member of either species is alive. Thirteen species are Critically Endangered, meaning that they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future, and fifty-five species are Endangered, meaning that they face a very high risk of extinction. Thirty-nine species are classed as Vulnerable, or fac…
Physical characteristics: The body of the wandering glider is yellowish red in color. The base of the back wing is distinctly widened, with a faint yellowish patch. The abdomen narrows toward the tip and has a black strip along the back. Geographic range: This species is found worldwide but is more common in the tropics. Habitat: The wandering glider breeds in small, shallow pools, often in puddle…
Physical characteristics: This is the largest damselfly in the world, with a wingspan of 6.4 inches (162.6 millimeters) and a body length of 4 inches (101.6 millimeters). Their wings have a wide, dark blue band. The males are larger than the females and have a white patch before the blue band and the glassy wingtip. The females are shorter, with only white patches on their wingtips. Geographic ran…
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