Western Pondhawk

Erythemis collocata

The Western Pondhawk is a bright green dragonfly that loves to fly around ponds and lakes. It has a long body and big eyes, making it look like a little superhero of the water!

Lebensraum: Wetlands

Aussehen

The Western Pondhawk is a medium-sized dragonfly with a robust body. Males are distinctive with bright green faces and a pale blue, frosted body. Females and young males are brilliant green with dark brown markings and yellow spots on their abdomen.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungOdonataFamilieLibellulidaeGattungErythemis

Western Pondhawk

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

An adult Western Pondhawk can eat hundreds of mosquitoes every single day!

Males often perch on leaves near ponds, fiercely guarding their territory from rivals.

They are ancient insects; dragonflies have existed for over 300 million years!

Western Pondhawk babies, called nymphs, live entirely underwater for up to two years!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Western Pondhawks have massive compound eyes that cover most of their head, helping them spot prey from almost any direction.

Western Pondhawks can hover, fly backward, and change direction instantly because of their four independently moving wings.

Western Pondhawk nymphs breathe and hunt underwater, using a special extendable jaw to catch other aquatic creatures.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 50-90 mm
Größe: 35-48 mm
Lebenserwartung: 400-800 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 50 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

These amazing aerial hunters catch and eat all sorts of flying insects right out of the air!

Altersunterschiede: Nymphs hunt aquatic insects and tadpoles underwater, while adults hunt flying insects in the air.

Hauptnahrung

Mosquitoes
Flies
Moths
Small butterflies
Midges

Nahrungssuche

Pursuit

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eats

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

Adults help control mosquito populations near water.

eats

House Fly

Musca domestica

Adult Western Pondhawks prey on various flying insects, including flies.

eaten by

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Birds like kingbirds are known predators of adult dragonflies.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Bullfrogs prey on both adult dragonflies and their aquatic nymphs.

Merkmale

Luftbewohnend

Luftbewohnende Tiere verbringen einen erheblichen Teil ihres Lebens in der Luft und nutzen den Flug für verschiedene Aktivitäten wie Jagd, Wanderungen oder Nestbau.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Insektenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Organismen, deren Nahrung hauptsächlich aus Insekten und anderen kleinen Wirbellosen besteht.

Feuchtgebiet

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal kennzeichnet Arten, die in Feuchtgebieten vorkommen. Dies sind Landflächen, die dauerhaft oder saisonal mit Wasser gesättigt sind, darunter Marschland, Sümpfe und Moore.