| Dragonflies Temporal range: Early Jurassic–Present | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cretaceous dragonfly species Cordualadensa acorni, illustrated by Alex Anderson | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Mandibulata |
| Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Epiprocta |
| Subgroups | |
|
See subtaxa. | |
The clade Anisoptera includes dragonflies. These are four-winged, predatory insects. The first known species lived during the Jurassic period. Along with the damsel-dragonflies (Epiophlebiidae) and damselflies (Zygoptera), dragonflies comprise the larger group Odonata.
Evolution[]
NIGP 148312, the right hindwing and holotype of Sinacymatophlebia mongolica
The oldest record of an anisopteran dates back to the Toarcian stage of the Early Jurassic epoch, about 183 to 174 MBC. At the Posidonia Shale in northern Switzerland, an isolated wing was assigned to Liassogomphus brodiei, a member of the extinct family Liassogomphidae.
The crown-group anisopteran - the clade uniting all modern species - evolved later in the Jurassic period. Sinacymatophlebia mongolica lived during about 165 million years BC in whay is now the Jiulongshan Formation of China. This species belonged the the archaic family Cymatophlebiidae or Paracymatophlebiidae.
Later diversification of the dragonlies was influences by changes in climate and geography throughout the world. By the end of the Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous epoch, the Aeshnidae (darners) and Gomphidae (clubtails) families had diverged. Remaining families in Cavilabiata diversified in the Cenozoic Era. Numerous families thrived in the late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous in Europe and Asia, later becoming extinct.
Eleven families of dragonflies exist today, including over 3012 species. They occupy all continents except Antarctica.
Description[]
Size[]
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Size diagram of Kimmeridgebrachypteraeschnidium, an English small darner
Dragonlies vary greatly in size today and in prehistory. The largest known dragonfly is the giant hawker, Tetracanthagyna plagiata, from Southeast Asia. It has a wingspan of 16.3 cm (6.4 in). It just barely surpasses the giant petaltail, Petalura ingentissima, which reaches 16 cm (6.3 in) in wingspan. On the other end of the scale, the scarlet dwarf from Australasia, Nannophya pygmaea, grows a wing span of just 2 cm (0.8 in).
In the fossil record, numerous species of neoanisopterans grewm to relatively large proportions. Aeschnidiidae, the "small" darners, had wing (singlular) lengths of more than 7.5 cm. Petalurida, an extant clade, evolved dragonflies such as the German Aeschnogomphus with wingspan of up to 17.8 cm (7 in) during the late Jurassic.
Biology[]
Terms for a dragonfly's wing veination patterns
Dragonflies, like most winged insects, have 4 wings. The shape and position of these appendages allows them to fly in all directions with great maneuverability. Patterns in the veins on the wings of a species are useful for classifying them into families and higher taxa.
Abdomens of dragonflies are more robust than their close relatives, the zygopterans (damselflies), who are smaller and more gracile.
Subtaxa[]
TBA
References[]
Evolution
- https://www.palaeodiversity.org/pdf/02/Pal_2_08_199-204_gu_4c.pdf
- https://palaeo-electronica.org/content/fc-8
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-4983.00157
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790324001775
- Suhling, F.; Sahlén, G.; Gorb, S.; Kalkman, V.J.; Dijkstra, K-D.B.; van Tol, J. (2015). "Order Odonata". In Thorp, James; Rogers, D. Christopher (eds.). Ecology and general biology. Thorp and Covich's Freshwater Invertebrates (4 ed.). Academic Press. pp. 893–932. ISBN 9780123850263.
Description
- https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/science-natural-history/large-fossil-dragonfly-136/130674
- https://observation.org/species/90818/
- https://en.hkdragonfly.com/copy-of-54
- https://www.fossilera.com/fossils/huge-7-fossil-dragonfly-aeschnogomphus-solnhofen-limestone?srsltid=AfmBOoqMg4vGO3NtE0SAJV7uB7IZ2CcIQrEp9-cOUxtfsuYYxk0RJ0Lv