Glossary

Some Dragonfly Terms

Dennis R. Paulson

abdomen

last segment of body, the long and slender one, with 10 segments

Anisoptera

suborder to which "true" dragonflies belong

appendages

structures at the end of abdomen: 2 in females, 3 (2 superior, 1 inferior) in male dragonflies, 4 (2 superior, 2 inferior) in male damselflies; distinctive of species

caudal lamellae

three leafy appendages at rear of abdomen in damselflies, for respiration and locomotion; also called caudal gills

copulation

act of fertilization, may be brief or lengthy; male holds female as in tandem, but tip of female's abdomen swings up to contact second segment of male, where accessory genitalia located (sperm transfer already accomplished)

cuticle

outermost covering of insect

damselfly

member of suborder Zygoptera, characterized by narrow wings, fore and hind identical, usually folded over abdomen; small, widely separated eyes; and small size and slender body

dragonfly

member of suborder Anisoptera, characterized by broad wings, fore and hind different, held out from body; large eyes, touching in most groups; and typically large size and bulky body; also used to refer to the entire order

emerge

to leave water and undergo metamorphosis into an adult; emergence is thus both from water and from exuviae

endophytic oviposition

laying eggs into plant tissue

exophytic oviposition

laying eggs onto water or land

exoskeleton

outer hard part of an insect, including legs & wings

exuviae

(sing. pl.) cast skin from any larval molt (including transformation into adult)

femur

first (basal) large leg segment

flight season

period during which adults occur

guarding

behavior by male to keep other males away from ovipositing female he has fertilized

hamules

paired structures that project from pocket under second segment and hold female abdomen in place during copulation

imago

sometimes-used term for adult stage

immature

adult past teneral stage but still not with mature coloration; usually not at water

in copula

collected while copulating

instar

a larval stage; most larvae go through 10-13 of them

interspecific

between different species

labium

lower "lip" of larva that is extended during prey capture

larva

(pl. larvae) immature stage of Odonata

maiden flight

first flight of teneral away from water

mandibles

what dragonfly bites with

mature

of reproductive age, fully colored

metamorphosis

process of changing from larva to adult; happens within larval exoskeleton

molt

each time exuviae is shed; larval growth can take place only when larva is briefly soft at this time

naiad

another term for larva, not much used

nymph

another term for larva, commonly used

ocellus

(pl. ocelli) simple eyes between the large compound eyes

Odonata

order to which dragonflies/damselflies belong

odonate

another term for dragonfly/damselfly

ommatidium

(pl. ommatidia) one division of compound eye

oviposit

to lay eggs

oviposition

act of laying eggs

ovipositor

complex structure at posterior end of female damselflies, darners, and petaltails that functions in endophytic oviposition

pruinose

with powdery bloom that exudes from cuticle and turns it light blue, gray or white

pruinosity

powdery bloom deposited on mature odonates of some species

pterostigma

thickened structure at front of wingtip in most Odonata; function still in question; often called "stigma," but that is the term for the holes in the side of an insect through which aerial respiration takes place

sexual patrol flight

characteristic flight of male odonates at water; either actively searching for females or defending a territory into which females may enter

sperm transfer

when male transfers sperm from tip of abdomen to accessory genitalia on 2nd abdominal segment

tandem

when male and female are linked either in flight or at rest; male damselfly's 4 appendages clasp female at junction of prothorax and thorax; male dragonfly's 3 appendages clasp female at back and top of head

tarsus

third leg segment, made up of several short segments

teneral

adult after it has just emerged, soft and not definitively colored

territoriality

active defense of a small area

thorax

second section of body, bulky part bearing wings and legs

tibia

second leg segment, usually longer and thinner than femur

vulvar lamina

plate under 9th abdominal segment of female odonates that serves to hold eggs in place during exophytic oviposition; distinctive of species

wing sheaths

contain developing wings on thorax of larva; swollen when emergence is near

"wheel"

term often used for the copulation position

Zygoptera

suborder to which damselflies belong