Best Dragonfly

The Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus) is a large dragonfly native to North America and the sole living member of the genus Hagenius. It belongs to the family Gomphidae, commonly known as clubtails, due to the widened segments at the end of the abdomen. Uniquely among North American dragonflies, it...

Meganeuropsis permiana was a giant dragonfly that lived during the Permian Period approximately 290 million years ago. This extinct insect boasts an impressive wingspan of around 71 centimeters making it the largest known insect fossil discovered to date. Its size and unique morphology offer valuabl...

Meganeura monyi was a giant dragonfly that lived during the Carboniferous period approximately 300 million years ago. It is notable as one of the largest flying insects ever discovered, boasting a wingspan reaching nearly 65 centimeters. Fossil evidence suggests this “griffinfly” inhabited swampy en...

The Common Green Darner (Anax junius) is a large dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, widespread across North America, Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. Adults reach approximately 7 to 8 centimeters in length, with a distinctive green thorax and a blue abdomen in mature males. The species i...

The Beautiful Demoiselle, scientifically named Calopteryx virgo, is a species of damselfly native to Europe and parts of Asia. First described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, the insect exhibits distinct sexual dimorphism. Males are recognizable by their dark, iridescent wings and metallic blue-green bodi...

The Giant Darner (*Anax walsinghami*) is a large dragonfly species belonging to the family Aeshnidae, native to the western United States and parts of Mexico. Recognized as the largest dragonfly in North America, it typically reaches lengths of up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) with correspondingly...

The Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) is a large, powerful insect belonging to the darner family, Aeshnidae. It is widely distributed across Europe, Asia, and parts of Africa, typically breeding in large ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers. The species is highly recognizable due to its vivid color...

The Giant Petaltail (Petalura gigantea) is a dragonfly species native to eastern Australia, particularly New South Wales. It belongs to the family Petaluridae, an ancient lineage of dragonflies with fossil relatives dating back to the Jurassic period. The species breeds in peat bogs and swampy habit...

The Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) is a species of broad-winged damselfly native to eastern North America. Males are distinguished by their brilliant metallic blue or green bodies and solid, dark black wings, while females display lighter, smoky wings with distinct white spots near the tips....

The Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) is a distinctive, large insect belonging to the family Cordulegastridae, commonly found across Western Europe. It holds the distinction of being the longest dragonfly species in the United Kingdom, with a predominantly black abdomen prominently ma...

Petalura ingentissima, known as the giant petaltail, is a unique dragonfly species native to Australian wetlands. This remarkable insect boasts an exceptionally large size, with a wingspan exceeding twelve centimeters – making it one of the world’s largest dragonflies. It belongs to the Petaluridae...

The Andor Dragonfly 500 is a high-speed confocal microscopy system developed by Oxford Instruments Andor for advanced live-cell imaging applications. The platform integrates multiple imaging modalities, including spinning disk confocal, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF), and widefield mi...

Pantala flavescens, commonly known as the globe skimmer, is a species of dragonfly recognized for its extensive global distribution. It is found on every continent except Antarctica, making it the most widespread dragonfly species in the world. The insect is capable of long-distance transoceanic mig...

The Forest Giant is a Neotropical damselfly species holding the distinction of having the largest wingspan of any living dragonfly or damselfly in the world.

Petalura ingentissima, commonly known as the giant petaltail, is a large species of dragonfly endemic to the coastal rainforests of northeastern Australia. First described by entomologist Robert John Tillyard in 1908, it is recognized as Australia's largest dragonfly, capable of reaching a wingspan...

Anax imperator, commonly known as the emperor dragonfly, is a large species of hawker dragonfly belonging to the family Aeshnidae. Described by zoologist William Elford Leach in 1815, it is one of the largest dragonfly species found in Europe, with a range that extends across the continent into Afri...

The Blue Emperor, Anax imperator, is a large dragonfly described in 1815 and known across much of Europe, Africa, and western and central Asia. Mature males develop a bright blue abdomen marked with a dark pattern, while females and immatures are generally greenish or brownish. It breeds in ponds, l...

The Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) is a dragonfly species in the family Libellulidae, native to the Americas and distributed from the southern United States through Central and South America. Mature males display a distinctive deep magenta to purple coloration on the abdomen, while females an...

The Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) is a large damselfly species native to Europe and parts of Asia, commonly found near slow-flowing rivers and streams. Males display distinctive dark blue-purple bands across their otherwise transparent wings and metallic blue-green bodies, while females h...

Somatochlora hineana, commonly known as Hine's emerald, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the family Corduliidae. It is primarily found in wetlands, calcareous fens, and groundwater-fed areas across the Great Lakes region of North America. Due to the destruction of its specialized habitat, the...

The Phantom Flutterer (Rhyothemis semihyalina) is a species of dragonfly belonging to the skimmer family Libellulidae. Native to regions including sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Indian Ocean, it primarily inhabits marshlands, swamps, and areas of still water with dense aquatic vegetation. The i...

NASA’s Dragonfly is a rotorcraft spacecraft designed to explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. This mission utilizes innovative technology to investigate Titan’s potential for prebiotic chemistry and habitability. It's targeted at planetary scientists and astrobiologists studying the conditions neces...

The Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi) is a dragonfly species belonging to the ancient family Petaluridae, which has existed for approximately 150 million years. Native to the eastern United States, it features distinctive gray markings on its thorax and abdomen, with a dark body measuring approxi...

The Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) is a medium-sized dragonfly in the family Libellulidae, found across Europe, northern Asia, and North America. It is named for the dark nodal spots on each of its four wings. Adults are typically seen from May to August, patrolling over ponds, lakes...

Celithemis eponina, the Halloween pennant, is a dragonfly of the skimmer family Libellulidae native to eastern North America, ranging from southern Canada to Florida and west to the Great Plains. It is named for its orange-and-black wing markings, which suggest the colors associated with Halloween....

Rhyothemis graphiptera, known as the Graphic Flutterer, is a dragonfly in the family Libellulidae found across northern and eastern Australia. Its broad wings bear dark brown or black bands and patches, giving it a butterfly-like appearance in flight. The species frequents still waters such as ponds...

Rhyothemis variegata is a dragonfly species in the family Libellulidae, commonly known as the common picture wing or variegated flutterer. The species was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1763 and is distributed across South and Southeast Asia, including India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Indon...

Cordulegaster heros is a large dragonfly species in the family Cordulegastridae, commonly known as the Balkan goldenring, and is recognized as the largest dragonfly native to Europe, with a body length of approximately 85 to 95 millimeters. The species occurs in Central and Southeastern Europe, incl...

Uropetala carovei, commonly known as the New Zealand bush giant dragonfly, is a large dragonfly native only to New Zealand’s forests. This species stands out due to its impressive size and the predatory behavior of its larval stage, which targets land snails. It is primarily observed in forested are...