Orthemis ferruginea
Common name:
Roseate skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Libellula pulchella
Common name:
Twelve-spotted skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Orthemis ferruginea
Common name:
Roseate skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Libellula pulchella
Common name:
Twelve-spotted skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Orthemis ferruginea
Common name:
Roseate skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Libellula pulchella
Common name:
Twelve-spotted skimmer
Family:
Libellulidae
Suborder:
Anisoptera
Order:
Odonata
Suborder-Animalia: Anisoptera
Dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) are heavy-bodied, strong-flying insects that hold their wings horizontally both in flight and at rest. By contrast, damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) have slender bodies and fly more weakly; most species fold their wings over the abdomen when stationary, and the eyes are well separated on the sides of the head.
An adult dragonfly has three distinct segments, the head, thorax, and abdomen as in all insects. It has a chitinous exoskeleton of hard plates held together with flexible membranes. The head is large with very short antennae. It is dominated by the two compound eyes, which cover most of its surface. The compound eyes are made up of ommatidia, the numbers being greater in the larger species. Aeshna interrupta has 22650 ommatidia of two varying sizes, 4500 being large. The facets facing downward tend to be smaller. Petalura gigantea has 23890 ommatidia of just one size. These facets provide complete vision in the frontal hemisphere of the dragonfly. The compound eyes meet at the top of the head (except in the Petaluridae and Gomphidae, as also in the genus Epiophlebia). Also, they have three simple eyes or ocelli. The mouthparts are adapted for biting with a toothed jaw; the flap-like labrum, at the front of the mouth, can be shot rapidly forward to catch prey. The head has a system for locking it in place that consists of muscles and small hairs on the back of the head that grip structures on the front of the first thoracic segment. This arrester system is unique to the Odonata, and is activated when feeding and during tandem flight.
Reference: Wikipedia