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Odonata Terms
abdomen - last segment of body, the long and slender one, with 10 segments
Anisoptera - suborder to which "true" dragonflies belong
appendages - structures at the end of abdomen: 2 in females, 3 (2 superior, 1 inferior) in male dragonflies, 4 (2 superior, 2 inferior) in male damselflies; distinctive of species
caudal lamellae - three leafy appendages at rear of abdomen in damselflies, for respiration and locomotion; also called caudal gills
copulation - act of fertilization, may be brief or lengthy; male holds female as in tandem, but tip of female's abdomen swings up to contact second segment of male, where accessory genitalia located (sperm transfer already accomplished)
cuticle - outermost covering of insect
damselfly - member of suborder Zygoptera, characterized by narrow wings, fore and hind identical, usually folded over abdomen; small, widely separated eyes; and small size and slender body
dragonfly - member of suborder Anisoptera, characterized by broad wings, fore and hind different, held out from body; large eyes, touching in most groups; and typically large size and bulky body; also used to refer to the entire order
emerge - to leave water and undergo metamorphosis into an adult; emergence is thus both from water and from exuviae
endophytic oviposition - laying eggs into plant tissue
exophytic oviposition - laying eggs onto water or land
exoskeleton - outer hard part of an insect, including legs & wings
exuviae (sing. & pl.) - cast skin from any larval molt (including transformation into adult)
femur - first (basal) large leg segment
flight season - period during which adults occur
guarding - behavior by male to keep other males away from ovipositing female he has fertilized
hamules - paired structures that project from pocket under second segment and hold female abdomen in place during copulation
imago - sometimes-used term for adult stage
immature - adult past teneral stage but still not with mature coloration; usually not at water
in copula - collected while copulating
instar - a larval stage; most larvae go through 10-13 of them
interspecific - between different species
labium - lower "lip" of larva that is extended during prey capture
larva (pl. larvae) - immature stage of Odonata
maiden flight - first flight of teneral away from water
mandibles - what dragonfly bites with
mature - of reproductive age, fully colored
metamorphosis - process of changing from larva to adult; happens within larval exoskeleton
molt - each time exuviae is shed; larval growth can take place only when larva is briefly soft at this time
naiad - another term for larva, not much used
nymph - another term for larva, commonly used
ocellus (pl. ocelli) - simple eyes between the large compound eyes
Odonata - order to which dragonflies/damselflies belong
odonate - another term for dragonfly/damselfly
ommatidium (pl. ommatidia) - one division of compound eye
oviposit - to lay eggs
oviposition - act of laying eggs
ovipositor - complex structure at posterior end of female damselflies, darners, and petaltails that functions in endophytic oviposition
pruinose - with powdery bloom that exudes from cuticle and turns it light blue, gray or white
pruinosity - powdery bloom deposited on mature odonates of some species
pterostigma - thickened structure at front of wingtip in most Odonata; function still in question; often called "stigma," but that is the term for the holes in the side of an insect through which aerial respiration takes place
sexual patrol flight - characteristic flight of male odonates at water; either actively searching for females or defending a territory into which females may enter
sperm transfer - when male transfers sperm from tip of abdomen to accessory genitalia on 2nd abdominal segment
tandem - when male and female are linked either in flight or at rest; male damselfly's 4 appendages clasp female at junction of prothorax and thorax; male dragonfly's 3 appendages clasp female at back and top of head
tarsus - third leg segment, made up of several short segments
teneral - adult after it has just emerged, soft and not definitively colored
territoriality - active defense of a small area
thorax - second section of body, bulky part bearing wings and legs
tibia - second leg segment, usually longer and thinner than femur
vulvar lamina - plate under 9th abdominal segment of female odonates that serves to hold eggs in place during exophytic oviposition; distinctive of species
wing sheaths - contain developing wings on thorax of larva; swollen when
emergence is near
"wheel" - term often used for the copulation position
Zygoptera - suborder to which damselflies belong
Source: Slater Museum of Natural History
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Last updated on Monday March 22, 2004
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