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There are 57 recorded species of Odonata in Britain, made up of 21 damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and 36 dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera). Of these, 42 species (17 damselflies and 25 dragonflies) are resident breeders, and the remainder are either extinct species, or vagrants - in respect of the latter, this list follows the decisions of the Odonata Records Committee.
Dragonfly nymphs vary in form with species, and are loosely classed into claspers, sprawlers, hiders, and burrowers. [17] The first instar is known as a prolarva, a relatively inactive stage from which it quickly moults into the more active nymphal form. [37]
Dragonflies are strong fliers with fairly robust bodies and they have wings that are broad near the base; at rest the wings are held out to the side. Damselflies tend to be less robust, and appear weaker in flight; their wings are narrow near the base and (in most species) held folded back over the abdomen when perched.
The sighting of the two species also comes as non-native dragonfly species are cropping up in the U.K. “ at a greater rate than ever before,” according to a 2021 report from the Natural ...
Sympetrum is a genus of small to medium-sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in North America. The more than 50 species predominantly live in the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere; 15 species are native to North America. No Sympetrum species is native to Australia.
Some species of damselfly have elaborate courtship behaviours. Many species are sexually dimorphic, the males often being more brightly coloured than the females. Like dragonflies, they reproduce using indirect insemination and delayed fertilisation. A mating pair form a shape known as a "heart" or "wheel", the male clasping the female at the ...
Cordulegastridae nymphs will almost entirely conceal themselves in sand or silt, exposing only their eyes to see, antennae for sensing prey, and the tip of their abdomen to breathe dissolved oxygen. [11] Nymphs will consume any prey they can capture, going as far as eating smaller larvae of the same species. [12]
Dragonflies have thus come to exemplify spiritual awakening, enlightenment and clarity, particularly for Christians. But there's much more to unpack around the dragonfly's spiritual meaning ...