Larva of the dragonfly and a brief description of the detachment

Dragonflies - a detachment of flying predatory insects. Representatives of this group of animals are common in the tropics, subtropics and regions with a temperate climate. To date, about six thousand representatives of this group are known. These insects are characterized by an indirect developmental method, which includes a transitional stage (dragonfly larva) and an adult stage (adult). Both larvae and adults are the basis of the diet of some species of fish. What are dragonflies?

How do adults look?

Before considering the larva of the dragonfly, it is necessary to learn more about the mode of life of these insects. The adult is quite large, with a distinct and mobile head. The visual facies are the huge faceted eyes that occupy the entire upper part of the head. The body of the insect is elongated and consists of the thoracic and abdominal parts. The extremities of the dragonfly are not developed very much, but on them the rows are setae, which play the role of a hawk basket - this makes it possible to hunt in flight.

The representatives of this group have two pairs of wings, which are almost the same size and actively participate in the flight.

What do dragonflies eat? As already mentioned, these are predatory insects. Smaller species become their prey. Mostly these are midges, mosquitoes and other insect pests. The very same dragonfly usually becomes food for fish.

Reproduction and development of the dragonfly

These insects mate in flight. On the abdomen, you can see the developed copulatory organs - in this way it is easy to distinguish the male from the female. Another interesting feature - the male removes from the copulatory apparatus of the female foreign sperm, before placing his own. This phenomenon has no analogues in the wild.

Next, the female lays the fertilized eggs. As a rule, the ovipositor is carried out either in water or on aquatic plants and much less often in moist soil. From each egg a dragonfly larva appears.

Larva of the dragonfly

The larvae of these insects live in water. Their body is colored olive-brown in color. They breathe with the help of rectal gills and through the covers of the body. These creatures are inactive, but the way of their movement deserves attention. First, a portion of water is sucked through the anus and then it is squeezed out under high pressure from there. The force of recoil pushes the insect in the opposite direction. In addition, the dragonfly larva can swim with the help of gill plates, which perfectly replace the fins.

Another feature of the larva is the presence of a so-called mask, which is represented by an enlarged lower lip. The mask acts as a grasper. Insects at this stage of development do not actively hunt - most of the time they sit on the bottom or attach to an aquatic plant, waiting for prey, which then grasp, quickly throwing forward the mask.

The larval dragonfly feeds mainly on daphnia, larvae of mosquitoes and other insects. Before the last moult, the insect is selected on the shore and attached to the plant. It is here that the larva turns into an adult form - an imago.

Types of dragonflies

It should be noted that dragonflies are a fairly common group of insects. The detachment is divided into two main suborders:

1. The winged dragonflies. Representatives of this detachment have equal in size pairs of wings. Thanks to this structure insects are characterized by a soft, fluttering flight. Larvae of such dragonflies live in flowing or standing water bodies.
2. Undisgued dragonflies. These insects have two pairs of large, almost transparent wings. In a calm state, their wings are located perpendicular to the abdomen. It should be noted that the representatives of this group are considered one of the fastest insects. Larvae live either in a pond or in a swamp.

It is interesting that experienced fishermen quite often and successfully use these insects as bait.