Species group · Insects
Dragonflies
WAnimals has 4 species of dragonfly, spread across 3 families (Cordulegastridae, Gomphidae, Libellulidae).
- 4 species
- 3 families
- 118 countries
- 290 parks
- Length
- 4 cm – 8.4 cm
- Lifespan
- 5 years
Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 4.
All 4 species of dragonflies on WAnimals
Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
See the global conservation statusWhere they live
Recorded in 118 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
Did you know…
The female lays her eggs hanging vertically over the water and jabbing her abdomen repeatedly into the sand of the bottom, like a sewing machine.
Its larva lives buried in the sediment of the stream for three to five years, and in cold mountain water it can take longer still.
It needs clean, cool streams with bankside vegetation, and is an excellent indicator of headwaters in good condition.
The clubtails are the only group of large European dragonflies whose eyes do not meet on top of the head, a feature that identifies them at a glance.
From Common Clubtail
Its larva lives buried in the sand of the riverbed for three or four years, with only its eyes and antennae clear of the sediment.
From Common Clubtail
It is sensitive to pollution and to the dredging of channels, and its presence indicates rivers with well-preserved natural beds.
From Common Clubtail
There is a form called praenubila with greatly exaggerated wing spots, which appears to depend on water temperature during the larval stage and is commoner in Europe than in America.
From Four-Spotted Chaser
It is the official state insect of Alaska.
From Four-Spotted Chaser