ENY 3005 Family Identification
Odonata: Libellulidae
Pronunciation: lie-bell-LU-li-dee
Common name: common skimmers
The three dragonfly families in the superfamily Libelluloidea are all
characterized by:
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matched antenodal crossveins
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triangles of the front and hind wing being of dissimilar shape.
Species in the family Libellulidae are separated from those in Macromiidae
and Corduliidae by having a boot-shaped anal loop in the hind wing.
References:
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Pages 73-139 in S. W. Dunkle. 1989. Dragonflies of the Florida peninsula,
Bermuda and the Bahamas. Gainesville, FL: Scientific Publishers. 154 p.
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Pages 72-73 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to Insects.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
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Page 78 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects,
3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
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Page 197 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An
Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College
Publishing. 875 p.
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Page 360 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction
to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.
Links to other web sites
Families of Odonata: Petaluridae, Gomphidae,
Aeshnidae, Cordulegastridae, Macromiidae, Corduliidae,
Libellulidae, Calopterygidae,
Lestidae, Protoneuridae, and Coenagrionidae.
Return to ENY 3005 Index to Orders
Prepared by John L. Foltz,
University of Florida, Dept of Entomology & Nematology, 6 October 1998.
Modified 12 June 2001.
Digital image courtesy of Forrest
L. Mitchell, Texas A&M Univ; text added by J. L. Foltz.