Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Meganeura is a genus of extinct insects from the Late Carboniferous (approximately 300 million years ago). It is a member of the extinct order Meganisoptera, which are closely related to and resemble dragonflies and damselflies (with dragonflies, damselflies and meganisopterans being part of the broader group Odonatoptera).
The Phasmatodea (also known as Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects whose members are variously known as stick insects, stick bugs, walkingsticks, stick animals, or bug sticks. They are also occasionally referred to as Devil's darning needles , although this name is shared by both dragonflies and crane flies. [ 1 ]
Meganisoptera is an extinct order of large dragonfly-like insects, informally known as griffenflies or (incorrectly) as giant dragonflies. The order was formerly named Protodonata , the "proto-Odonata", for their similar appearance and supposed relation to modern Odonata ( damselflies and dragonflies ).
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies (which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Epiprocta) but are usually smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body.
Dragonflies and their relatives are similar in structure to an ancient group, the Meganisoptera or griffinflies, from the 325 Mya Upper Carboniferous of Europe, a group that included one of the largest insects that ever lived, Meganeuropsis permiana from the Early Permian, with a wingspan around 750 mm (30 in). [9]
The prothorax is notably elongated and mobile, giving the group its common name of snakefly. The three pairs of legs are similar in size and appearance. The two pair of dragonfly-like wings are similar in size, with a primitive venation pattern, a thickened leading edge, and a coloured wingspot, the pterostigma. Inocelliids lack a cross vein in ...
The common name refers to the wide, iridescent wings along with the unique fluttering flight the species exhibits which resembles that of a butterfly. [ 3 ] [ 9 ] [ 11 ] It shares this Japanese common name with the related Rhyothemis variegata , which is known as オキナワチョウトンボ ( okinawa chou-tonbo , "Okinawa butterfly dragonfly").
The immature meadowhawk dragonflies feed on various organisms that can be found in aquatic environments. Some of their prey items include fly larvae, mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, shrimp, and small fish. The adult meadowhawks feed on smaller, typically flying insects. This, for example, includes mosquitoes, flies, moths, and mayflies.