Dragonfly | Facts & Information

Origin

They are true experts in the art of flight and can catch their prey in the air. They have two pairs of wings, which act separately. When it has to fly slower, the first pair of wings beats before the second. To fly faster, the two pairs beat in unison.

Their wings allow them to be classified into two subgroups: dragonflies with unequal wings belong to the Anisoptera subgroup – their rear wings have a wider base.

Dragonflies with equal wings belong to the Zygoptera subgroup – they have two pairs of wings of the same shape. They are smaller and fly slower and more elegantly than dragonflies with uneven wings.

Feeding Dragonfly

Dragonflies live near waters-rivers, lakes, ponds. After copulation, the female lays her eggs here.

They feed on flying insects, even of their own species.

Features Dragonfly

Until now, male dragonflies were thought to exhibit elaborate courtship behavior, attracting females, especially with flight maneuvers performed at high speed. A recent study, carried out using sophisticated video cameras, shows that males literally get hot by flying in the sun's Rays. All to impress the females.

This type of sexual behavior, unexpected for some insect species, is the best clue for female dragonflies about the qualities of males, providing them with information referring to the territories mastered by the male pretenders.

The energy captured by the bodies of the male Japanese Dragonfly (Mnais costais) in the moments of flights in full swing of the sun's Rays, ensures that they maintain high body temperature over the longer period of time, thus allowing them to court as many females as available.

The team of researchers who investigated the nuptial behavior of dragonflies also found that the most "tanned" males were most likely to guard their females from the insatiable cravings of rival males.

Imperial Dragonfly: length of abdomen – 49-61 mm, wingspan – 90-100 mm. The thorax is bright green in color. The abdomen is elongated, in males it is Azure, with a zigzag – shaped black band at the dorsal side, and in females-green with Brown Band. The anterior and posterior wings differ both in shape and in nerve; in the resting state they are stretched, perpendicular to the body.

Dragonfly Breeding

Male dragonflies are known for their territorial behavior. The male patrols an area awaiting the passage of a female and will hunt for male intruders that appear in the area. The male will transfer sperm from his genital organ, located at the end of the abdomen, to a special receptacle located on the second abdominal segment, near the thorax.

When a female enters its territory, it will follow it and grab it from under its neck with its special organs at the end of its tail. Then the female will bring the end of her abdomen into contact with the receptacle of the male to receive sperm. The pair can remain in this position tied for a while and can even fly in this position.

Most dragonflies simply drop their eggs onto the surface of the water, attach them to the stems of aquatic plants, or deposit them in the mud. Damselfly dragonflies and some dragonfly dragonflies lay their eggs in a slit they make in the stem of plants at the surface or below water level.

Eggs turn into nymphs that spend their entire lives underwater, feeding on aquatic animals. Some dragonfly nymphs wait motionless and attack prey in passing with incredible speed and accuracy. The nymph lives from six months to five years, depending on the temperature of the water and the amount of food.

She sheds ten or more times. Both types of dragonflies go through an incomplete metamorphosis during their development. Damselfly nymphs are generally more elongated, thinner than dragonfly nymphs.

The nymph emerges from the water just before the last Moult and becomes a winged adult. The adult lives from one to two months in temperate regions and up to a year in the tropics.