![]() When the emerging adult dragonfly pushes against this area, it splits cleanly leaving a neat exit hole. Dragonflies are amphibiotic, spending most of their lives as aquatic nymphs before metamorphosing into terrestrial, winged imagoes. The triangular hole is an area of the cuticle that was digested much thinner than the rest of the exoskeleton. Once it is out of the water, the dragonfly larva will digest away all but the outermost layer of its cuticle and use those materials to make the exoskeleton of the dragonfly. The claws on the ends of the legs allow the larva to climb and get a firm grip on the vertical surface. The photo of the dragonfly larva (below) was taken beside a bridge over the Crystal River in Michigan. When a larva is mature and it is time to become an adult, the larva will climb out of the water and cling to a nearby surface. If a larva is threatened, it can rapidly squirt out a jet of water that will propel the larva rapidly forward and out of harm’s way. The dragonfly larvae can rhythmically pump water in and out the same way our lungs pump air in and out. Dragonfly Larvae Nymph Leaving Water in Early Summer, Japan 4k Stock Video. The hind opening of the food canal contains a chamber where oxygen uptake from the water into the trachea occurs and carbon dioxide is released into the water. 2010s: A dragonfly nymph feeding underwater on passing fish. The larvae will shred it with its other mouthparts and ingest the food.ĭragonfly larvae are well adapted to breathing underwater. The functionally wingless larvae are usually mottled or dull in colour, matching the sediments or water plants among which they live. When an unsuspecting animal is close enough, the jaws dart out and snatch the prey. Young dragonflies, called larvae or sometimes nymphs or naiads, are aquatic and are as dedicated predators under water as the adults are in the air. The larva have a lower jaw (labium) that extends out from the head. The larvae are cryptically colored and hide in the mud or under rocks. The dragonfly larvae live on the bottom of lakes and streams and feed on small animals such as other insects and even small fish. ![]() The dragonfly larvae are just as comfortable and well adapted to life underwater as adults are to flying through the air. The adult dragonflies lay eggs in the water that hatch into dragonflies larvae. Dragonflies appear so comfortable flying through the air it is difficult to imagine that in their previous life they lived underwater. They can hover, they mate while in the air, and they swoop in to snatch other flying insects (such as mosquitos) out of the air.
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