Forest Giant

The Forest Giant is the Neotropical damselfly Megaloprepus caerulatus. It is a zygopteran, so despite its common name and giant size, it belongs to the damselfly rather than true dragonfly group.

Megaloprepus caerulatus is recognized for having the largest wingspan of any living dragonfly or damselfly. Its unusually broad wings are one reason the species is often highlighted in accounts of giant odonates.

Its larvae develop in water that collects inside tree holes in Neotropical forests. That unusual habitat means the species depends on forest structures that hold small pools above the ground.

Adult Forest Giants are predators that can catch small flying insects, while their larvae hunt aquatic organisms in tree-hole pools. The species is therefore a predator both in its adult aerial stage and its juvenile aquatic stage.