dragonfly insect stopping on branch closeup

>For other uses, see Dragonfly (disambiguation). Aeshnidae Austropetaliidae Cordulegastridae Corduliidae Gomphidae Libellulidae Neopetaliidae Petaluridae A dragonfly (also known as devil's darning needle) is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta and, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Conventionally, the Anisoptera were given suborder rank besides the "ancient dragonflies" (Anisozygoptera, 2 living species and numerous fossil ones), but it has been determined recently that the Anisozygoptera form a paraphyletic assemblage of primitive relatives of the Anisoptera. Thus, the Anisoptera are reduced to an infraorder, forming the new suborder Epiprocta (dragonflies in a general sense). The artificial grouping Anisozygoptera is disbanded, its members being recognized as largely extinct offshoots at various stages of dragonfly evolution. Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not bite or sting humans. In fact, they are valued as a predator that helps control the populations of insects that do, such as mosquitoes. See more at Wikipedia.org...