Dragons and Damsels, but who is who? – Issue #98

Hello Explorer,
A few months ago in the newsletter “The power of Dragons and Damsels – Issue #68”, we looked at what Dragonflies and Damsels- can tell us about the water, habitat, and ecology. We delved into the DBI, what it is and how it works. But over the last few weeks I realized that I once again took for granted the difference between Dragon- and Damselflies, and how to tell them apart.
To start off let’s take a look at the basics of their taxonomy. The order of Dragon- and Damselflies are known as Odonata, and it is split into two clear sub-orders or groups, the Zygoptera (Damselflies) and the Anispotera (Dragonflies).
Damselflies or Zygoptera can close their wings over their body, by folding them together. “Zygo” means yoke in Greek and “ptera” means wings in Greek, so the scientific name for Damselflies literally means Yoked Wings. Dragonflies, however, cannot close their wings on their body, and their wings are always open.
Dragonflies or Anisoptera have different sized front and back wings, with the hind wings being much broader than the front wings. “Anisos” means unequal in Greek, and once again, “ptera” means wings in Greek, thus Anisoptera literally means “unequal wings” in Greek. Whereas, Damselflies have equally sized front and hind wings.

The front and hind wing equality or lack thereof and ability to close the wings or not are the two primary ways to differentiate between Dragons and Damsels. There are a few other factors that can be used, but are not definitive rules, and there are some that blur the lines of the other rules.
The first is that damselflies are typically smaller, slenderer, and have a more delicate build than Dragonflies. Dragonflies are typically larger, more robust, and generally more stocky and shorter than Damselflies. Dragonflies typically have a much stronger build than the Damselflies.
Another difference is the size difference in the compound eyes of Dragon- and Damselflies. Dragonflies have larger compound eyes than Damselflies, but this is a very relative measurement.
Even though the build and eye size difference are there, it is not identifying characteristics of either Dragonflies or Damselflies.
The easiest way to check the difference is to look whether the Odonate you are observing is closing its wings when perched or not. If the wings are closed when perched it is a Damsel, if not it is a Dragon.
Did you know that they are so different, and yet so similar? Would you like to learn more about Dragons and Damsels, like what the differences are between their nymphs, the nymphs crazy hunting adaptations, what they eat as nymphs and adults, and how they impact the environment? What is the craziest looking Dragon- or Damselfly you have ever seen?

If you would like to send me a message with your answers, feel free to do so on Instagram or Twitter @abugmanslife or via email to [email protected].