Dragonfly Pond Watch Data Sheet Template - Migratory Dragonfly Partnership Page 2
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2Dragonfly Pond Watch Data Sheet
Glossary
Stages
nymph: also known as larva or naiad; young stage of dragonfly; fully aquatic; develop for anywhere from one to several years, depending on species, undergoing numerous molts as they grow.
teneral adult: a newly emerged adult; has weak fluttery flight, incomplete color development, shiny wings, and is not sexually mature; tenerals are fragile and should not be handled.
immature adult: a young adult dragonfly in the process of developing its full mature coloration and becoming sexually mature; often seen feeding and perching away from the water.
mature adult: reproductive adult with full characteristic pigment development.
Behaviors
mating: mating dragonflies form a characteristic and unmistakable shape called the “wheel”, in which the male holds the female behind the eyes with structures at the tip of his abdomen, and the female
curves her abdomen upwards to contact the sperm-transfer organs on the underside of the male abdomen, closer to the thorax, and often holds on to the end of the male’s abdomen with her legs. A mating
pair may fly or perch in the wheel formation.
egg-laying/oviposition: depending on species, eggs are laid on the water, or inserted into live or dead plant material or into the sediment. A female laying eggs may be guarded by the male as she flies, or
he may continue to hold her behind the eyes as they fly in tandem. An ovipositing female may be seen flying low along the water and touching the tip of her abdomen down at intervals to release eggs, or
perched on vegetation with her abdomen curved and the tip pressed down against the plant material into which she is inserting her eggs.
emerging: final molt, where the late stage nymph climbs out of the water onto a supporting surface, the skin splits along the back, and the new adult pulls itself free of the old nymphal skin (called an
exuvia); the wings and abdomen expand, the skin hardens, and the teneral adult is ready for its first flight.
perching: resting on the substrate (rocks, plants, twigs, tree branches, etc.). Different species may perch in a characteristic pose, and perching position may change as the dragonfly attempts to regulate its
body temperature (i.e. hanging vertically, wings drooped, abdomen pointed straight up, etc.).
feeding: hunting and consuming prey, which consist of small insects (including other dragonflies and damselflies!); a feeding dragonfly may fly up from a perch to grab its prey, or snatch its prey while in
flight. Small prey may be eaten on the wing; consuming larger prey may require the dragonfly to land first. Large feeding swarms of dragonflies may form where prey is abundant.
patrolling: behavior exhibited by some male dragonflies, seen flying back and forth as they defend a fixed territory, or flying continuously around and over the water’s surface, sometimes diving at and
attempting to scare off other males.
Modified 3/20/2013
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