Dragonfly: photo, where they live, what they eat, description, enemies, reproduction, what it looks like, size, role in nature

Review author: “ZooVita”

The dragonfly is an arthropod insect. As scientists have found out, they appeared on Earth about 350 million years ago. Since then, many different species have emerged, and scientists now know of approximately 6,600 species of dragonflies. Of these, 608 are fossils, so unfortunately they can no longer be found. They are superb predators and some of the most beautiful insects to exist on the planet.

Dragonflies arthropods

Superclass: Insects (Insecta) Class: Open-jawed (Ectognatha) Order: Dragonflies (Odonata)

Dragonflies are the fastest flying insects in the world. At short distances, their flight speed can exceed 100 km/h. These predatory insects are extremely voracious - in a day they eat a volume of food many times greater than their own weight. The unique huge eyes of dragonflies consist of 20-30 thousand ocelli, or facets, and provide the insects with almost complete all-round visibility.

Currently, about 5,000 species of dragonflies are known. They live mainly in the tropics and subtropics. About 170 species are known in Russia. The problem of flutter - vibration of wings in flight, which at the dawn of aviation caused the death of more than one aircraft, was solved by dragonflies millions of years ago. A slight thickening of the wing, called the pterostigma or “marginal eye,” reliably eliminates all unwanted wing vibrations.

Adult dragonflies are graceful and fairly large insects with a spindle-shaped, often brightly colored body, a large rounded head and long mesh wings. They can move independently of each other and significantly increase their flight speed. The long and light abdomen serves as a rudder for the dragonfly - it helps to maintain direction. The legs of dragonflies are poorly developed and are not adapted for walking.

Dragonflies are active predators and prefer open spaces. They catch their prey - flies, mosquitoes, midges, sawflies - and eat them in flight, tearing them apart with sharp mandibles. Dragonflies are most active during the day, during the hottest hours; in good weather, flight begins after sunrise and ends at sunset. Most often they can be found along the banks of reservoirs, forest edges, along forest roads and clearings. After mating, which occurs in the air, the fertilized female lays eggs either directly into the water or into underwater or above-water parts of plants. The eggs hatch into larvae that develop mostly in shallow bodies of water.

The larvae are completely different from adults, but also lead a predatory lifestyle, feeding on aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles and even fish fry. In larvae, the lower lip is transformed into a kind of hunting organ - a mask with hooks. Approaching the victim, the larva folds its mask forward, and the hooks dig into the victim. The larvae are unusually voracious predators - they eat aquatic invertebrates, and large larvae even attack tadpoles and fish fry. The development of a dragonfly larva lasts 1–3 years, sometimes longer. Before flying, it rises from the water along the stems of plants and is gradually freed from the skin. First, young adult dragonflies dry their delicate wings in the sun and then take to the air.

Dragonflies are a good indicator of the cleanliness of water bodies. They cannot thrive in polluted water, and therefore you will rarely see them on the banks of urban rivers. Dragonflies are grouped into two large groups: homoptera and heteroptera. Among the small-sized and graceful homoptera dragonflies, the most famous are representatives of the families Krasotki with blue or green wings, Lyutki, and Strelka. The span of large heteropterous dragonflies can reach 10–12 cm; these are species of the families Rocker, Dedki, Grandmothers, Watchers, and True dragonflies.

Interesting fact

Despite the fact that dragonflies are formidable predators, they themselves are often prey to large animals such as frogs, lizards and birds. For the latter, such a diet is fraught with considerable danger: after all, dragonflies act as carriers of a parasitic disease - prostagonymosis. Its causative agents are flatworms, which, when ingested by a bird, make it incapable of laying and incubating eggs: the shell becomes too fragile or does not develop at all.

Dragonfly nutrition

What do dragonflies eat? These are predatory insects. They feed on small insects such as flies, moths and others. Some species can eat small aquatic animals, fish, and spiders.

Each male has a specific hunting territory, which he jealously guards.

Like adult dragonflies, naiads, and predators. Dragonfly larvae feed on fish fry, small aquatic insects, crustaceans and eggs of other insects.

Examples of dragonfly species

Lute family (Lestidae)

Medium-sized slender dragonflies with slow flight.

When sitting on plants, they spread their wings to the sides and move them back, so that the wings are located at an angle to the body. Only a few species fold their wings along their abdomen. The color is usually green or bronze, with a metallic tint. The larvae colonize bodies of water with stagnant water, even those that dry up by the end of summer.

Dull lute (Sympycna fusca)

Males and females are colored the same. The body is mostly brownish-bronze, with a wide bronze stripe on the chest. The ends of the wings are slightly pointed. Body length up to 35 mm, wingspan up to 45 mm.

Adult dragonflies of the new generation fly near water bodies from late June to October. They then spend the winter and meet again in the spring.

The total lifespan of dragonflies is up to 10 months. Lutki fly poorly and therefore most often sit on coastal plants. Females lay up to 350 eggs, placing them in dead tissues of sedge, reed, reeds and other plants directly at the surface of the water, both in above-water and underwater parts, less often they lay eggs in living plant tissues.

The larvae are slender, very mobile, and develop in ponds, ditches and other standing bodies of water. They live among aquatic vegetation.

Larval development is completed in 8-10 weeks.

Lute dryad (Lestes dryas)

Males and females are colored the same.

The body is bronze-green above, the chest on the sides below is yellowish, with stripes. The edges of the wings are brown. Body length up to 40 mm, wingspan up to 50 mm.

Adult dragonflies fly near water bodies from late June to September.

Natural enemies of dragonflies

Photo: Blue dragonfly

The main enemies of dragonflies are:

• birds;
• predatory fish;
• orb-weaving spiders, hobo spiders and tetranatids;
• reptiles;
• carnivorous mammals.

Eggs and small larvae are eaten by fish, crustaceans, and other larvae. Most eggs die without hatching, they are eaten by predators, or unfavorable weather conditions prevent them from developing. In addition, dragonflies are often parasitized by sporozoans. Flukes, threadworms and water mites. Due to their lifestyle, dragonflies are also often preyed upon by insectivorous plants.

Dragonflies are very nimble insects that fly quite quickly. In the daytime, they can camouflage themselves under the glare of the sun, sitting on plants or trees with their belly down, their transparent wings are difficult to see by many predators, and this camouflage allows dragonflies to fool the enemy.

In addition, dragonflies fly masterfully, and it is very difficult to catch up with a dragonfly; the only option for a predator to feast on this insect is to take it by surprise. The larvae, protecting themselves from predators, try to burrow into the ground or hide in algae. Larvae swim very rarely, although they are very good at doing this.

Ecological and biological characteristics of dragonflies, species

Eggs are laid in the tissue of aquatic plants. Often up to 50-70 eggs are laid on one plant, which are placed in a straight line up to 40 cm long. In autumn, these plants die and, together with the laid eggs, fall into the water.

The larvae emerge from the eggs in the spring. The development of larvae is completed in 8 - 10 weeks.

Beauties (Calopterygidae)

The beauties are perhaps truly the most beautiful dragonflies. Males differ from females by darkened wings. These dragonflies are very rare in the Baikal region and deserve protection.

Splendid beauty (Calopteryx splendens)

Lutki (Lestidae)

The lute family (Lestidae) includes small homoptera dragonflies, but with a long pterostigma.

Near any stagnant bodies of water, the dryad lute (Lestes dryas) is very common. A similar species, the bride lute (L. sponsa), differs reliably only in the structure of the genital appendages. Females are lighter in color.

Lute dryad (Lestes dryas)

Small, poorly flying lute and arrowheads feed on mosquitoes and other small insects.

They themselves can become victims of large dragonflies, birds, or even insectivorous plants, like this lute that fell into the clutches of the English sundew.

Among the aquatic thickets, graceful nymphs of lute (Lestes) are found in large numbers. Their thin body bears three tail leaves at the end. When nymphs swim by bending their long body from side to side, the vertical tail leaves act as a fin.

They are easily broken off, or even discarded by the larva, like a lizard's tail. Without them, animals move awkwardly and slowly until the next molt, when the tail leaves are restored. Lying nymphs are very dangerous for any small living creatures - crustaceans, worms, insect larvae and for their younger brothers.

Rocker (Aeschnidae)

Our largest dragonflies belong to the rocker flies (Aeschnidae).

One of the common species in the Baikal region is the blue rocker (Aeschna juncea), with a body length of up to 70 mm and a wingspan of up to 95 mm. Males are brighter, with a predominance of blue coloring, especially on the abdomen.

In females, green and yellowish tones predominate. These are excellent flyers, capable of traveling tens and even hundreds of kilometers, settling in new bodies of water. Sometimes it is possible to observe the process of a dragonfly emerging from a larva, which for this purpose climbs out of the water onto protruding parts of plants. The wings of a young dragonfly are still fragile, cloudy, and the covers are pale colored. But within an hour after hatching, the dragonfly is ready to fly.

Rocker (Aeschnidae)

In calm weather, in the water you can distinguish a large, slender nymph of the rocker dragonfly (Aeschna), which slowly crawls among aquatic plants with its legs or sits on stones, tracking prey with the help of large compound eyes.

If disturbed, the nymph forcefully throws out a stream of water from the hindgut and quickly moves forward. In reservoirs, the rocker larva is a real thunderstorm for all inhabitants. It feeds on everything it can handle, even fish fry.

Structure of a dragonfly

The dragonfly is very recognizable. Its special feature, by which almost any person recognizes it, is its very narrow, elongated abdomen and graceful wings.

The abdominal part is divided into 11 segments. Each of which in turn is divided into two half-segments. The ternite is the upper half-ring, and the sternite is the lower half-segment. Often the abdomen has a bright, variegated coloring.

Males have special forceps on their abdomen that help them hold the female during the fertilization process.

One of the features of the dragonfly is its eye apparatus. It may seem that there are only 2 of them, but this is not so. Each eye apparatus is approximately 30,000 facets. Each facet is completely independent and works separately. The upper part of the eye sees the outlines of surrounding objects, the lower part distinguishes colors.

But that's not all. Dragonflies also have 3 more eyes. They are located on the parietal part of the head and thanks to them the predator can see behind and to the side. Because of this eye structure, dragonflies can see prey at a distance of 8 meters. But at the same time, dragonflies are absolutely deaf and blind.

Also, when describing dragonflies, we must not forget about the wings.

Previously, the wingspan of a dragonfly was about 90 cm. Now, of course, they are no longer so huge. Nowadays, the maximum size of these insects very rarely exceeds 10 cm in wingspan. But such a small size does not prevent them from hunting and getting food for themselves; on the contrary, the dragonfly is rightfully considered one of the best predators among insects.

Types of dragonflies: names and photos. Representatives of the order of dragonflies

Watchman - Anax imperator Leach

One of the largest species of dragonflies with powerful flight. The chest is green with wide black stripes at the seams. The wings are transparent, large (wing length 50 mm). The wing membrane is a contrasting gray-white color. Legs with long spines, with the help of which they fold into a catching “basket” for insects in flight. The abdomen of an adult male is blue; that of a female is green or bluish-green, with a solid black jagged longitudinal stripe on the dorsal side.

The eyes are large, faceted, blue-green in color.

Watchman - Anax imperator Leach

The species has an unusually wide range, crossing almost all natural zones of the Earth from the Scandinavian Peninsula to southern Africa, but in most areas within its range its distribution is local.

In Russia, the range is limited to the southern half of the European part.

Inhabits water bodies in both open and forest landscapes. The larvae develop in stagnant and low-flowing water bodies; their lifestyle is that of thicket ambush predators. The food spectrum of larvae is very wide and includes almost all small hydrobionts from cladoceran crustaceans to tadpoles and fish fry. The development cycle is 1-2 years, depending on the photoperiodic and temperature conditions of a particular habitat, as well as on the abundance and availability of food.

Emergence of adults from larvae in southern Russia at the end of May. The adult years last until mid-August. Adult dragonflies are active predators, pursuing prey in the air. They feed on a wide variety of flying insects, but the main diet is usually chironomids. There are large differences in the biotopic distribution of males and females: the former are more concentrated near water bodies, the latter are scattered over large areas, preferring forest edges, bushes, and forest belts.

During the reproductive period, males are characterized by territorial behavior - patrol flights within the individual territory, where mating and egg laying occur.

In Russia, population dynamics are steadily declining. The dispersion of adults from the breeding sites is wide; dragonflies in feeding stations can be found at a distance of 3-4 km from the nearest body of water.

Spring and summer pass - a celebration of life in central Russia. With the onset of autumn, all living things prepare for winter. Butterflies huddle in secluded places - tree hollows, under bark that has fallen off trunks, in the attics of houses.

But not all butterflies overwinter this way. There are species that can overwinter in the egg stage or in the caterpillar stage, and some in the pupa stage. Those species of butterflies that overwinter in the egg stage try to hide their eggs in places where they would be more comfortable.

Most wintering caterpillars burrow into the forest floor or, like butterflies, climb into the bark that has fallen away from tree trunks, into rotten stumps and other places.

Many butterfly caterpillars that overwinter in the pupal stage burrow into the ground and pupate there. And some pupate where their camouflage coloring is not noticeable.

Among representatives of the order Hymenoptera (wasps, bumblebees), fertilized females overwinter, huddled in the cracks of rotten stumps, under the trunks of fallen trees, which is where they can be found in winter.

The larvae of the golden bronze beetle overwinter in compost heaps.

The rotting compost releases heat, and the larvae survive safely until spring. Rhinoceros beetle larvae spend the winter in rotting sawdust.

Very often during the winter thaw you can meet representatives of the order Diptera - snow mosquitoes. These creatures appear in winter, when there are no enemies - predatory and parasitic insects.

We know that with the onset of cold weather, birds, united in flocks, fly to countries with a warm climate.

Butterflies also make such flights. For example, monarchs unite in flocks and fly for the winter from the northern states of the USA and Canada to Florida, Central America, Cuba, and the Bahamas.

There they spend the winter on certain trees, which are now under protection. In the spring, the butterflies travel again, this time to the north, where they lay eggs and die. One can only wonder how the young monarchs find their way to the winter, because their parents, who flew from the south, died.

With the biology club, we went out into the forest and looked for wintering insects. We found everything: caterpillars, small leaf beetles, longhorned beetle larvae, and bedbugs.

Sometimes small parasitic riders were found under the bark. They lay eggs on caterpillars. The larva emerges from the egg and feeds on the tissues of the caterpillar. First it eats the fat body, then the muscles and the circulatory system. The parasite, having completed its development, emerges from the skin remaining from the caterpillar and pupates on it, either on the surface of the earth or burrowing into the soil.

Fly

Representatives of the order Diptera - flies - also hibernate; they can often be seen between window frames.

Two-spot ladybugs also overwinter. In our museum of A.S. Pushkin in the western Moscow region there are a lot of these bugs every year. During the thaw, the bugs wake up and how joyful it is to see them - the harbingers of spring.

But it’s not easy for insects waking up in the winter thaw. They spend energy, but they have nothing to eat. So the prolonged winter thaw does not bode well for wintering insects.

Swimming beetle

Many insects and their larvae overwinter in water. For example, large beetles are fringed swimming beetles.

As a child, skating on the first, still thin ice, I often saw these beetles swimming under the ice.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Dragonflies

These insects go through three stages of transformation:

• egg;
• naiads or larvae;
• adult insects (imago).

Many dragonflies are capable of producing more than one offspring per year. Insects mate in the air. Before mating, males perform a kind of ritual dance in front of the female. They fly around her, doing unusual things in the air. After mating, females lay from 260 to 500 eggs. The reason for the death of eggs is their eating by other creatures, including dragonflies.

Also, water pollution, or a decrease in air temperature. In favorable conditions, the larvae hatch from the eggs in a couple of days, but often in temperate climates, the larvae do not hatch until the following spring.

Interesting fact: Dragonfly eggs can survive the winter unchanged and the larvae will hatch the following spring.

Just hatched from the egg, the size of the larvae is 1 mm. At this stage, the larva lives only a few minutes, then begins to molt. Depending on the subspecies, the larvae develop at different times and go through a different number of molts. The larvae are able to feed on their own and lead an underwater lifestyle. Usually the larvae are inactive, burrow into the ground or hide among algae. Dragonfly larvae feed on mosquito larvae and other insects, fry of small fish and crustaceans.

Insects of the true dragonfly family

I was surprised then how they breathed. Now I know that swimming beetles breathe in winter by collecting bubbles of oxygen released by aquatic plants. There is another way to obtain oxygen from water. Between the elytra and the abdomen of the swimming beetle there is a cavity, and this is where the beetle collects oxygen bubbles. But a beetle can breathe with the help of a bubble only at low temperatures, when all its processes are slowed down and a large amount of oxygen is not required.

Dragonfly larva

Dragonflies and representatives of the order Diptera, mosquitoes, overwinter in the larval stage.

Dragonfly larvae have gills and breathe oxygen dissolved in water. The “bloodworms” known to fishermen—red worms—are the larvae of mosquitoes of the bell ringer family.

Bells live in bottom mud. “Bloodworms” can be small or large—these are mosquito larvae of different species.

Another example of wintering of dipterans is observed in the raspberry stem gall midge. This creature overwinters in the larval stage.

If you look closely at young raspberry shoots in winter, you can see swelling and growth of stem tissue. And by opening this incorrectly grown part of the stem, the so-called gall, you can see the orange larvae of the raspberry gall midge.

All hibernating insects have one goal during the wintering period - to survive in conditions of low temperatures.

Before wintering, insects undergo various processes of body restructuring. One of the important processes is the accumulation of glycerol.

All processes occurring during wintering require the presence of this substance.

In winter, the living tribe of insects disappears from our field of vision. Under the cover of snow, they are waiting for the hour of festive rebirth - the long-awaited spring.

A. L. Kalutsky, entomologist

Types of dragonflies: names and photos. Representatives of the order of dragonflies

Dragonflies are the oldest insect predators: the remains of their distant ancestors discovered by archaeologists date back to the Carboniferous period (350-300 million years ago).

years ago). However, many years of evolution have had virtually no effect on the appearance of dragonflies, so these creatures are classified as primitive.

To date, scientists have discovered and classified more than 5,000 species of these insects. But the species of dragonflies that can be observed in the European part of Russia are very few in number: there are no more than a hundred of them.

These insects prefer tropical climates, so the vast majority of them inhabit the humid forests of South America and Southeast Asia. Dragonflies are not found in regions with arid climates.

Description and features

Dragonflies are the most ancient and interesting creatures, whose distant ancestors, very similar to modern specimens in structure and appearance, lived on the planet more than three hundred million years ago, that is, during the Carboniferous period.

Since then, their descendants have undergone few progressive changes, and therefore are classified by modern scientists as primitive. But, despite this, these living creatures can rightfully be called unique.

This is manifested in everything: in the structure, in the way of feeding and hunting, in the peculiarities of life, in the tirelessness and speed of these creatures, as well as in their hidden capabilities, with which they still never cease to amaze researchers of the animal world of our grandiose planet.

Dragonfly is an insect belonging to the type of amphibionts, that is, living organisms that have successfully adapted to life in two environments: on land and in water, and therefore they are not found in countries with arid climates.

It is believed that dragonflies appeared before dinosaurs

Many varieties of dragonflies (and there are more than six thousand species in total) carry out their life activities in the tropical regions of Asia and South America, where they are especially widespread in humid forests.

In addition, they live on continents such as Australia and Africa, and are found in Turkey, Iran, Italy and other countries of the Eurasian continent with similar climates.

About a hundred varieties of these organisms have taken root well and exist in Russian spaces. In fact, they have adapted to life on all continents except Antarctica. They are also not found in Greenland and Iceland. You can admire this creature and see its unique perfection in the photo of a dragonfly .

Dragonflies flap their wings about 30 times per minute, so no buzzing sound is heard from them

Characteristic features of their appearance include:

• a relatively large head, movably attached to the chest;
• chest, built from three components (front, intermediate, back);
• a thin long body of a streamlined shape, divided into 11 segments;
• chitinous transparent wings (two pairs);
• bright shiny elongated abdomen;
• hard hairy paws (six pieces).

The coloring of these insects can be the most colorful and original: stand out in blue, green, blue, yellow shades, shimmer with mother-of-pearl, have darkening and spots. In nature you can also find a white (transparent) dragonfly .

The structure of the visual organs of this insect is noteworthy. First of all, these include huge size, occupying three quarters of the head, compound eyes. They are built from thirty thousand elements (facets), each of which can be considered as a separate organ, functioning independently of the others.

The facets are placed in rows, some of which distinguish the volume and shape of objects, and the other part of them perceives color waves of a very different spectrum, including ultraviolet.

The crown of these creatures is equipped with three more simple additional eyes, arranged in a triangle. All organs of vision together allow the dragonfly to view the surrounding space in a circle at all 360° and distinguish the objects it needs at a distance of eight meters or more.

But with all this, the other sensory organs of dragonflies are not sufficiently developed. Their sense of smell is limited. There is no hearing at all, only the antennae located at the base of the wings pick up some sound vibrations.

The unique structure of the eyes allows the dragonfly to view space at 360 degrees

Born predator

Without exception, all types of dragonflies (both nymphs and adults) feed on insects, often blood-sucking (horseflies, mosquitoes, midges). The dragonfly's body shape is ideal for hunting on the fly. These insects are “lean”, with a pronounced chest and elongated abdomen.

The head of a dragonfly is very mobile. There are two complex compound eyes on it, allowing the insect to see everything that happens around and behind, and between these two there are ordinary ones, which serve for orientation in space.

The organs of vision are designed in such a way that a dragonfly sees best against the sky. Therefore, she attacks the victim from below. The insect has a powerful mouth (“gnawing,” as scientists say), short antennae and stiff legs covered with hairs that help capture prey. Each representative of the order has two pairs of wings, which are equally well developed.

This means that it is a bimotor insect. Dragonflies can fly at speeds of over 55 km/h.

What does a dragonfly eat?

Dragonflies and their nymphs feed exclusively on prey. They usually hunt prey in flight, but some species wait in place and take off after prey only when they see it.

Particularly large dragonflies often devour their prey in flight. Thanks to their excellent vision, they can see prey at a distance of up to 2-6 meters. They first grab the prey with their legs, then pull it towards their mouth. Their prey is usually any flying insects, sometimes other types of dragonflies (often a dragonfly catches a butterfly).

The nymph hunts with the help of a so-called mask, which is a reshaped lower muzzle with a grasping device. She can extend the mask up to a third of her body and use it to drag prey to her mouth. Most often they prey on the larvae of other aquatic insects.

Homoptera

There are three suborders of dragonflies. The first of them is Homoptera. It includes graceful, light and, as a rule, small insects with a very elongated abdomen. Both pairs of wings are identical in size and shape; when at rest, the dragonfly folds them at the back so that they form an acute angle with the surface of the back. Homoptera fly slowly and smoothly.

Among them are such species of dragonflies as the graceful arrow, the beauty-girl and the dim lute. Homoptera nymphs living in water have a special respiratory organ located at the end of the abdomen - caudal gills.

Character and lifestyle of the dragonfly

Dragonflies lead a solitary lifestyle, preferring to hunt on their own. Thanks to its specific wing structure, a dragonfly can either hover in the air, making an instant stop, or fly over vast distances, covering several hundred kilometers without rest.

During landing, the dragonfly does not fold its wings, like many other insects, but always leaves them in a straightened state.

The main peak of activity occurs during daylight hours, during which dragonflies fly in search of prey.

During hot hours, they can be observed in huge numbers along the banks of reservoirs and above forest edges.

The flight of a dragonfly is characterized by noiselessness, thanks to which the dragonfly can unnoticed approach its prey.

They can make intricate turns in the air, do somersaults and even fly backwards. Thanks to this ability, dragonflies can easily escape from predators pursuing them.

Variopterans and Anisozygoptera

The second suborder is heteroptera. They have a powerful body, and the base of the hind wings is widened.

The eyes often touch. The flight speed of heteroptera is high. At rest, the wings of these dragonflies are spread apart. The larvae of dragonflies live in mud and breathe using rectal gills. It is worth mentioning some species of dragonflies belonging to heteroptera. This is an ordinary grandfather, a large rocker, a bronze headstock, and a blood dragonfly.

Representatives of the third suborder (Anisozygoptera) combine the characteristics of the first two, although in appearance they are closer to heteroptera.

Dragonflies (Odonata)

These dragonflies do not live in Russia.

How long does a dragonfly live?

The dragonfly may seem to live a long time. But this is far from true. How long does a dragonfly actually live? Of course, each species of these insects has its own characteristics and its own lifespan. But as we managed to find out, dragonflies live from 1 to 1.5 months.

Beauties

In general, the order of dragonflies stands out among other orders of insects for its aesthetic merits. And it’s basically impossible not to admire the representatives of the family of beauties. For example, beautiful girls are small (up to 5 cm long), thin even-winged dragonflies with a wingspan of no more than 7 cm. The body and wings of males are colored in blue, green, purple shades and have a metallic sheen.

In females, the body is colored, but the wings are not.

Beauties prefer the overgrown banks of quiet rivers and small streams. They lay eggs in the leaves of coastal plants; The larvae also try to stay close to the stems and roots. The flight of a beautiful girl resembles the flight of a butterfly.

The benefits and harms of dragonflies

Like many other insects, dragonflies cannot be called clearly beneficial or harmful. Their benefit is that adult individuals feed on insects, and therefore play a significant role in the regulation of certain types of blood-sucking insects (including such dangerous ones as horseflies or tsetse flies), pests of agricultural crops and forests. In addition, dragonflies participate in pollination. Flying from flower to flower, they carry pollen on their legs. Fish and crustaceans feed on the larvae of these insects. Fishermen often use them as bait.

Damage is caused mainly by dragonfly larvae. They eat the fry of some fish species or compete with them for food, which leads to a decrease in the population. In addition, the larvae are hosts for parasites, in particular helminths. Birds (including domestic birds) eating larvae can become infected with prostagonymosis. This is a serious disease that affects the bird's ability to lay eggs. Without timely, competent treatment, there is a high risk of death.

Arrows

Arrows are not as spectacular as beauties, but just as graceful dragonflies. The photo of the graceful arrow, posted below, confirms this fact.

Shooters lead the same lifestyle as beauties, except that they choose more modest prey.

And it is not surprising, because the body length of the graceful arrow is only 3.5 cm, while the wingspan is 4.5 cm. The male has an elongated blue chest with a longitudinal black stripe and a black abdomen, as if intercepted by thin blue rings. The wings are narrow and transparent. Some females have a similar coloration, others are rather inexpressively colored and have neither stripes nor rings.

Arrows fly slowly and rarely leave their homes. Their larvae live and hunt in the stems and roots of aquatic plants. Distinguishing one species from another within this family is not an easy task. But it is impossible to confuse them with another family of arrows.

Legends and facts about dragonflies.

Dragonflies have lived on earth since prehistoric times. Some of them were incredibly large, judging by the fossilized remains found by archaeologists.

In Japan, the dragonfly was once considered a symbol of courage, as well as an insect that brings good luck. In Great Britain, it was believed that the dragonfly showed the fisherman a place where there were a lot of fish. In North America, there was once a belief that if a person kills a dragonfly, then all his family members will soon die.

In any case, dragonflies are worthy of respect, because they and their larvae destroy a huge mass of harmful insects - flies and mosquitoes.

Real dragonflies

This family of the heteroptera suborder includes numerous species of dragonflies. Their names speak for themselves: swamp, flat, blood.

These insects are distinguished by a massive, wide and relatively short body, wings slightly shifted towards the head and the presence of dark spots at their base. The female true dragonfly lays eggs directly into the water of a pond or quiet river, and sometimes into coastal sand. Large nymphs of true dragonflies live in the mud. The flat dragonfly is a medium-sized insect.

The wingspan is 8 cm, the body length is 4.5 cm. Both females and males have a brownish-yellowish chest, but the male's abdomen is covered with bright blue pollen, while the female's abdomen is brown, with dark stripes on the sides. At the base of both pairs of wings there are dark triangles. The eyes are greenish.

Other representatives of the family are very noteworthy - blood dragonflies (photo below).

They are easily recognized by their bright body color - reddish-yellow, orange or brown-red.

These dragonflies are one of the latest. They are active from mid-summer until November. The transformation of blood dragonfly larvae into adults occurs in just a couple of months.

Lifestyle and habitat

Dragonflies spread successfully only to those areas of the planet where stable negative temperatures are not observed for more than three months a year. Their widespread distribution and species diversity is largely explained by the ancient origin of these insects, their ability to move quickly and actively in space, as well as a variety of food sources and taste preferences.

The lifestyle of such insects is inherently amphibiotic. This means that the eggs and larvae of such living organisms go through the stages of their development in water, while adult individuals (imago) carry out their life activities in the air and on land.

These are excellent flyers, which is easy to see by watching dragonflies in the summer . They are agile and fast and are kind of champions among insects, developing significant speeds through the air, which in some cases can reach up to 57 km/h.

It should be noted not only the speed, but also the art of flight, as well as the maneuverability of these creatures, in which their streamlined bodily forms greatly help them.

The air element can truly be considered a home for the dragonfly. On the fly, she is able not only to dine, but even to mate. Moreover, these are very aggressive, cruel predators, and therefore many living organisms from the insect world have cause for concern if they see the shadow of a dragonfly .

Dragonflies fly beautifully and cover long distances at a speed of 130 km/h with a tailwind

These creatures, having occupied a certain territory, jealously guard it from competitors and fiercely fight for it with their own relatives.

Grandfathers

Among the features of these dragonflies are the variegated coloration, widely spaced eyes and the presence of a notch at the base of the hind wings in males.

Grandfathers are capable of long flights and prefer flowing reservoirs with clean water, where females lay eggs directly in flight.

Common dedka, tailed dedka and horned dedka are the most common species of dragonflies in Central Russia. These names sound funny (as well as “metal grandmother” or “bronze grandmother”), but you need to keep in mind that grandfathers are also called rivermen, and grandmothers – patrolmen.

The Common Dedka is a black and yellow dragonfly with transparent wings. The coloring is vaguely reminiscent of wasp.

Dedok larvae are voracious, strong and can burrow into soft mud. And adult grandfathers, oddly enough, are short-lived. They live no longer than a month.

Life activity of dragonflies

Dragonflies live on lawns, fields, and near bodies of water in different countries with temperate climates. Insects lead an active lifestyle, flying over considerable distances.

When landing, a dragonfly always spreads its wings, unlike many insects. Insects prefer to hunt alone during the day.

The dragonfly silently creeps up to the victim and captures it, folding its legs into a “basket”. These arthropods easily dodge dangerous predators in the air, thanks to the special structure of their eyes and considerable flight speed.

Benefits of dragonflies

Dragonflies, both adults and larvae, are of great benefit. As mentioned earlier, they eat harmful insects. In some regions of Russia there are dragonflies that destroy horseflies and gadflies. There are more than 50 species of dragonflies in Russia.

And on the African continent there is a species of dragonfly that destroys tsetse flies, which are carriers of the terrible virus. It should also be noted that the dragonfly is a symbol of courage and fearlessness for the people of Japan. And many poets and writers mention dragonflies in their works. Very often, dragonflies inhabit areas where they do not exist, but where they are needed. It is best to import larvae. When they are released into rivers and lakes, they create their own microclimate and adapt better.

Subsequently, the hatched dragonflies behave at home. It also happens that dragonflies, at a moment of danger, behave in such a way that a person sees - this is a warning. For example, when there is a fire. Dragonflies are our friends. Even children who often catch and kill dragonflies should know this. And scientists, in turn, will reveal a couple of dozen more species to the world.

Leucorrhinia dubia

The dubious whitebill lives in peat bogs from northern Europe to Siberia. In Russia you can find it almost everywhere, with the exception of the Far East.

The dragonfly has a white muzzle, the top of its abdomen is covered with juicy spots of tangerine color. Grows no more than 3.6 cm.

Arthropod species

Some species of dragonflies are incredibly numerous, others are almost extinct or have already disappeared. But, odontologists from time to time give descriptions of completely unknown varieties.

Consequently, these amazing ancient flying creatures continue to evolve. We will pay special attention to several types.

Ophiogomphus cecilia

The horned grandfather can reach 5.8 cm. An olive-colored dragonfly with black rings on its abdomen. The name was given because of the growths on the head that resemble horns.

They are also called horned snake eaters. They live in Eurasia. They prefer the banks of quiet rivers and streams. They have individual hunting grounds.