Little Blue Dragonlet

Erythrodiplax minuscula

The Little Blue Dragonlet is a tiny dragonfly with beautiful blue wings. They love to flutter around near water and are often seen resting on plants. Their small size makes them special and easy to spot!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Little Blue Dragonlet is a tiny dragonfly, typically bright, iridescent blue on its body, especially males. Its clear wings have a dark spot called a stigma, and its legs are often yellowish. Females can appear more brownish-yellow.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusErythrodiplax

Little Blue Dragonlet

Interesting facts

A Little Blue Dragonlet nymph lives underwater for months, then sheds its skin to fly!

Dragonflies are ancient insects; their ancestors flew the Earth over 300 million years ago!

Dragonflies form a heart-shaped 'mating wheel' in mid-air, a unique way to reproduce!

Its underwater babies, called nymphs, can breathe through gills inside their bottom!

Special abilities

Little Blue Dragonlets have huge compound eyes that provide almost 360-degree vision, helping them spot tiny prey and avoid predators.

Little Blue Dragonlets can hover, fly backward, and change direction instantly because of their powerful, independently moving wings.

Little Blue Dragonlets can snatch flying insects right out of the air using their spiky legs, acting like a net.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 35-45 mm
Size: 20-25 mm
Lifespan: 28-60 days
Flight Speed: 28 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

They are swift aerial hunters, feasting on small flying insects they catch mid-air.

Age differences: Nymphs hunt aquatic insect larvae and small aquatic invertebrates underwater.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
midges
flies
small moths
gnats

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Mosquito

Anopheles quadrimaculatus

Keeps mosquito populations in check.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Bullfrogs prey on adult dragonflies near water.

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Large fish eat dragonlet nymphs in the water.

Traits

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.