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INSECT ORDERS 



Order — Odonata 



This order includes the dragonflies and damsel flies. The adults 

 have two pairs of membranous wings of about equal size. The meta- 

 morphosis is incomplete and the naiads live in the water preying on the 

 larvae of many harmful insects. They have biting mouth parts and 

 catch and eat insects which they find in the air. 



1. Dragonflies. These are large, strong, and swift insects that dart 

 through the air with great speed, catching mosquitoes and other insects. 



Photo by Winchester 

 Fig. 17.2. The dragonfly. 



They have many other names, among which are mosquito hawks, be- 

 cause of their habit of catching mosquitoes, and snake doctors, because 

 of their supposed habit of administering to sick snakes. This last char- 

 acteristic is pure superstition. They are very beneficial because of the 

 large number of harmful insects that they destroy. A captive dragon- 

 fly will eat thirty or forty house flies without pausing. 



2. Damsel flies. Built very much like a dragonfly, the damsel fly 

 has a smaller and more slender body. It holds its wings over its back 

 when at rest, whereas the dragonfly holds the wings out to the side of 

 the body. Their habits are similar. 



