| 17th | Insects_and_other_ |
| Damselflies | |
|---|---|
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| Male Common bluetail damselfly (Ischnura heterosticta) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera Selys, 1854 |
| Families | |
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Amphipterygidae |
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Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest. Furthermore, the hindwing of the damselfly is essentially similar to the forewing, while the hindwing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body. Damselflies are also usually smaller, weaker fliers than dragonflies, and their eyes are separated.
Zygoptera comes from the Greek zygo meaning joined or paired and ptera meaning wings. They have two pairs of similar wings, unlike the dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera), whose hind wings are broader than their forewings.
Damselflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with an aquatic nymph stage. The female lays eggs in water, sometimes in underwater vegetation, or high in trees in bromeliads and other water-filled cavities. Nymphs are carnivorous, feeding on daphnia, mosquito larvae, and various other small aquatic organisms. The gills of damselfly nymphs are large and external, resembling three fins at the end of the abdomen. After moulting several times, the winged adult emerges and eats flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Some of the larger tropical species are known to feed on spiders, hovering near the web and plucking the spider from its nest.
 Saffron-faced Blue Dart Pseudagrion rubriceps |
 Head of a damselfly, Kolkata, India |
 Head of a damselfly |
 Common blue damselfly eating a leafhopper |
| Damselflies | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |||||||||||
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Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but in a separate suborder, the Zygoptera. There are 20 families of damselfly.
The wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest. There are also damselfly families in which the wings are held open, as in the true dragonflies (Anisoptera).
Damselflies are also usually smaller, weaker fliers than dragonflies, and their eyes are well separated, by more than their own diameter. Another distinction is that their forewings and hindwings look similar; this is not the case in the true dragonflies.
Like dragonflies, damselflies can only land, but not walk. Their life cycle is also similar. They have incomplete metamorphosis. with an aquatic nymph which is carnivorous.
   | Stream Bluet Damselfly ''Enallagma exsulans'' - Stream Bluet Damselfly - Enallagma exsulans |
| | American Rubyspot Damselfly ''Hetaerina americana'' diagnostic photos and information - American Rubyspot Damselfly - Hetaerina americana |
| | Northern Bluet ''Enallagma cyathigerum'' - Northern Bluet Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum |
| | Emerald Spreadwing Damselfly ''Lestes dryas'' - Emerald Spreadwing Damselfly - Lestes dryas |
| | Familiar Bluet Damselfly ''Enallagma civile'' - Familiar Bluet Damselfly - Enallagma civile |
| | ''Blue-Tailed Damsel, Asian specie.'' - Blues by suleesia |
| | Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly ''Calopteryx maculata'' diagnostic photographs and info - Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly - Calopteryx maculata |
| | Damselflies of Ottawa Canada - Odonata of the Ottawa District |
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