Dragonflies
Anisoptera
A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ἄνισος anisos, "uneven" and πτερόν pteron, "wing", because the hindwing is broader than the forewing). Adult dragonflies are characterized by large, multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. Dragonflies can be mistaken for the related group, damselflies (Zygoptera), which are similar in structure, though usually lighter in build; however, the wings of most...
6 branches of this suborder, most-observed first · about 3,136 known species
Libelluloidea
superfamilyLibelluloidea
Aeshnoidea
superfamilyAeshnoidea
Gomphoidea
superfamilyGomphoidea
Cordulegastroidea
superfamilyCordulegastroidea
Protolindeniidae
familyProtolindeniidae
Petaluroidea
superfamilyPetaluroidea
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Anisoptera in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 47927.