Dragonflies are agile fliers, while damselflies have a weaker, fluttery flight.ĭragonflies are predatory insects, both in their aquatic nymphal stage (also known as "naiads") and as adults. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each.ĭragonflies can be mistaken for the closely related damselflies, which make up the other odonatan infraorder ( Zygoptera) and are similar in body plan, though usually lighter in build however, the wings of most dragonflies are held flat and away from the body, while damselflies hold their wings folded at rest, along or above the abdomen. Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural colouration, making them conspicuous in flight. Adult dragonflies are characterized by a pair of large, multifaceted, compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonflies are known. A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata.
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