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Insect Identification Key Based on your answers to the questions, you have identified your insect as being in the order Odonata! Members of this order include:
dragonflies and damselflies. Etymology:
Odonata comes from the Grek odonta, which means tooth. This refers to the strong teeth that are present on the jaws of most of these insects. General characteristics: Number of species worldwide:
about 4,900 Classification:
For a list of all of the orders in this key, click here: List of Orders. Classification note:
Even though their names may sound like it, dragonflies and damselflies are not types of flies. True flies are in the order Diptera. Oops! If this doesn't appear to be the order for your insect, go back through the key and look more carefully at your insect while answering the questions again. Your perseverance will reward you! I would like to return to the start of this key. Unless noted otherwise, photographs on this website are the property of the photographers and may not be reused without written permission from the photographers. To obtain permission, request it here. Photos at the top of this website are by: Leslie Mertz, Ph.D., LMERTZ@nasw.org. Reproduction of material from any KnowYourInsects.org webpages without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Order Odonata: the dragonflies and damselflies
Click here to see examples of more dragonflies and damselflies!
• two pairs of long wings of approximately the same size
• wings are membranous and net-veined. Note: When at rest, dragonflies hold their wings straight out to the sides (as shown in the photo of the eastern amberwing at right), and the damselflies typically hold their wings together over the back.
• a head that is highly maneuverable
• large compound eyes that often cover most of the head
• three ocelli
• very short antennae
• chewing mouthparts
• “tilted” thorax segments, which allow the legs to be bunched up near the head, while the wings are set farther back on the body
• hemimetabolous metamorphosis (egg — naiad — adult)
Click here to see examples of more dragonflies and damselflies!
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Insecta
Order Odonata
Suborder Epiprocta (the dragonflies)
Suborder Zygoptera (the damselflies)
The suborder Epiprocta is a new designation. It takes the place of the suborder Anisoptera, the dragonflies, and the suborder Anisozygoptera, which has no living members in North America.
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