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Drogen fly nymph

Anisoptera

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41.64, -72.64

Field Notes

Description:

A dragonfly has a lifespan of more than a year, but very little of that life is actually as an adult dragonfly. There are three stages of the dragonfly life cycle, the egg, the nymph, and the adult dragonfly. Most of the life cycle of a dragonfly is lived out in the nymph stage and you don’t see them at all, unless you are swimming underwater in a lake or pond with your eyes opened, of course. Immature dragonflies live in freshwater. They are most abundant an diverse in slow-moving freshwater that has no fish (small streams and ponds) but can be found in many shallow freshwater habitats. Adult dragonflies often stay near water, but sometimes travel away from water while hunting or on migration. As Nymphs, the dragonflies eat mosquito larvae, other aquatic insects and worms, and for a little variety even small aquatic vertebrates like tadpoles and small fish... The adult dragonfly likes to eat gnats, mayflies, flies, mosquitoes and other small flying insects. They sometimes eat butterflies, moths, and bees too. It's not just adult dragonflies who are adapted to their environment, their larvae -- or nymphs -- have a range of specializations, too. Since nymphs live in the water, they need to use gills to breathe. They pump water over gills located in their rectal chamber.

Habitat:

Park river behind Watkinson

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Photographed
PublishedDecember 14, 2018

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