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Dragonflies having simple flaps shed the eggs in water, mostly in flight. Dragonflies having ovipositors use them to puncture soft tissues of plants and place the eggs singly in each puncture they make. [32] [34] [35] [36] Dragonfly nymphs vary in form with species, and are loosely classed into claspers, sprawlers, hiders, and burrowers. [17]
Petalura hesperia, more commonly known as the western petaltail [2] or giant western dragonfly, is a species of dragonfly in the family Petaluridae, originating from Western Australia. [3] It resides near the south-western coast of Australia, often observed near drainage basins. Petalura hesperia lives along streams and rivers where it lays its ...
The green darner is a large dragonfly; males grow to 76 mm (3.0 in) in length with a wingspan up to 80 mm (3.1 in). [9] [10] Females oviposit in aquatic vegetation, eggs laid beneath the water surface. Nymphs (naiads) are aquatic carnivores, feeding on insects, tadpoles, and small fish.
The larvae live primarily in stream banks, mostly in burrows, but the larvae of the eastern US species, Tachopteryx thoreyi, the gray petaltail, live in depressions under wet leaves. [4] The semiaquatic habitat of the larvae makes the petaltails unique in the modern dragonfly families.
The dragonflies mate in flight. The eggs are deposited in water or close by. The larvae (nymphs or naiads) are generally slender compared to those of other families, with a long and flat extensible lower lip (labium). The larvae are aquatic predators, feeding on other insects and even small fish.
Its diet consists of mosquito larvae, aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, freshwater shrimp, small fish, and tadpoles. The nymphs, which live in the mud at the bottom of warm streams or ponds, catch their prey by waiting patiently for it to pass by.
The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. [2] 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.
The dragonflies breed in a variety of aquatic habitats from large ponds to dikes and slow-moving rivers, but require a plentiful supply of vegetation in the water. [5] [11] They do sometimes breed in brackish water. [8] The females lay the eggs into plants such as pondweed, and always lay alone.