Dragonflies are a detachment of flying predatory insects.Representatives of this group of animals are distributed in the tropics, subtropics and areas with a temperate climate. To date, there are about six thousand representatives of this squad. These insects are characterized by an indirect mode of development, which includes the transitional stage (dragonfly larva) and the adult stage (adult). Both larvae and adults are the basis of the diet of some species of fish. What are dragonflies?
What do adult individuals look like?
Before the dragonfly larva is considered,need to learn more about the way of life of these insects. The adult individual is quite large, with a pronounced and mobile head. The organ of vision is the huge faceted eyes, which occupy the entire upper part of the head. The body of the insect is elongated and consists of the chest and abdominal parts. The extremities of the dragonfly are not very well developed, but in rows there are bristles arranged in rows that play the role of a trapping basket - this is how the opportunity to hunt in flight is created.
The representatives of this group have two pairs of wings, which are almost the same size and actively participate in the flight.
What eat dragonflies?As already mentioned, these are predatory insects. Their prey becomes smaller species. Mostly it is midges, mosquitoes and other insect pests. The dragonfly itself usually becomes food for fish.
Reproduction and development of dragonfly
These insects mate in flight.On the abdomen, developed copulative organs can be seen - in this way it is easy to distinguish the male from the female. Another interesting feature is that the male removes sperm from a female’s copulative apparatus before placing his own sperm. This phenomenon has no analogues in the wild.
Next, the female lays fertilized eggs.As a rule, egg-laying is carried out either in water or on aquatic plants and much less often in moist soil. From each egg a dragonfly larva is born.
Dragonfly larva
The larvae of these insects inhabit the water.Their body is painted in olive brown. They breathe with the help of the rectal gills and through the integuments of the body. These creatures are inactive, but the way they move deserves attention. First, a portion of water is sucked through the anus, which is then ejected from there under high pressure. Recoil force repels an insect in the opposite direction. In addition, the dragonfly larva can swim with the help of gill plates that perfectly replace the fins.
Another feature of the larva is the presence ofcalled a mask, which is represented by an enlarged lower lip. The mask plays the role of the grasping apparatus. Insects at this stage of development do not actively hunt - most of the time they sit at the bottom or attach to an aquatic plant, waiting for prey, which they then seize, quickly throwing the mask forward.
The dragonfly larva feeds mainly on daphnia,larvae of mosquitoes and other insects. Before the last molt, the insect is selected on the shore and attached to the plant. It is here that the larva is transformed into an adult form - imago.
Types of dragonflies
It is worth noting that dragonflies are a fairly common group of insects. The detachment is divided into two main suborders:
Interestingly, experienced fishermen quite often and successfully use these insects as bait.
