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I will be adding links to species' pages as I create them.
While I have endeavoured to provide accurate information,
my research may not be up-to-date or I may have made some mistakes.
If you find something of concern I'd be happy to hear from you.
My contact information is here.
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Dragonflies and Damselflies | Order : Odonata |
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Information
Dragonflies are the predators of the insect world, hunting smaller insects in flight.
Their larvae also feed on other insect larva.
They belong to the order Odonata, which has two suborders in Australia:
Anisoptera or Epiproctophora (dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies).
Australia has 324 species of dragonflies and damselflies, Victoria about 75 of those
and I have seen and photographed about 50.
Most of the life of these insects is spent as an aquatic nymph.
In colder regions this larval stage tends to be longer than in warmer waters.
Some large dragonflies are believed to live for over a decade before actually emerging.
This section of my site showcases some of my dragonfly and damselfly photography
and might help some with their identification (particularly Victorian species).
Photography
Dragonflies are not always easy to take photos of and usually I have to see them land somewhere.
I then try to take a photo from the distance (to aid later identification in case it flies away)
and slowly move closer, taking many bracketed photos.
Sometimes the subject remains perched long enough to get some good close-ups.
For this image (right) I was even able to make a hand-held self-portrait.
For some images organized by species see down the left side.
For more images (organized chronologically) see the links below.
For the latest up-to-date images of my trips always visit
all photos stored chronologically.
Identification
A common misconception is that to tell the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly
you merely need to look at the way they hold their wings when resting.
Although this is true for many species, it is not unique to either group for Australian species.
| Dragonflies |
Damselflies |
| Usually hold their wings open when resting |
Usually fold their wings closed above their body when resting |
| Forewings and hindwings generally dissimilar (eg. hindwings usually slightly shorter) |
Forewings and hindwings generally similar in size and shape |
Eyes are generally close together, often joined at the top of the head |
Eyes are less dominant and usually well separated at the sides of the head |
| Larvae have internal gills |
Larvae have external gills at the end of their body |
See the glossary for some technical terms used when describing these creatures.
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Special Reports |
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Sometimes discoveries are made which warrant special reports, such as discovering a new species.
Following is a list of reports made from my own observations.
They are in PDF format and can be used as reference sources.
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External Links |
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Victorian Dragonflies
An online field guide with all species that appear in Victoria listed.
Photos of most species provided along with behaviour and habitat description.
CSIRO
The CSIRO has a large entomology site but it is hard to navigate when trying to identify unknown insects.
Most of their images are also mounted specimens where the colors are generally not as vivid as
the in situ photos here on my site.
They provide a good Taxon Search
which lists the locations of insects.
Unfortunately this system is flakey and you may need to retry several times before your search succeeds.
Brisbane Dragonflies and Damselflies
The Chew family have an extensive web site of the insects they have found around Brisbane.
Further Reading
The public Wikipedia has good information on dragonflies
and, to a lesser extent, damselflies.
There are also some images available,
including an image showing morphology
(body parts).
The CSIRO has recently published a great new book, The
Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia by Günther Theischinger and John Hawking.
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