Red Saddlebags

Tramea onusta

The Red Saddlebags is a beautiful dragonfly with bright red and black colors. They love to fly around ponds and wetlands, showing off their stunning wings.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Red Saddlebags is a medium-sized dragonfly with a reddish-brown body. Males are distinguished by prominent red or orange-red patches, resembling 'saddlebags,' at the base of their hindwings. Females usually have amber or yellowish wing patches.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusTramea

Red Saddlebags

Interesting facts

A dragonfly nymph can shoot out its hinged lower lip to snatch unsuspecting prey underwater!

Dragonflies are among Earth's oldest winged insects, having existed for over 300 million years!

Its larval stage, called a nymph, lives underwater for months or even years, breathing with gills!

Some Red Saddlebags undertake long migrations, flying thousands of kilometers across continents!

Special abilities

Red Saddlebags can fly incredibly fast and change direction mid-air, helping them evade predators and chase prey efficiently.

Red Saddlebags has huge compound eyes covering most of its head, giving it nearly 360-degree vision to spot prey and threats.

Red Saddlebags can form a basket with its spiny legs while flying, which helps it scoop flying insects right out of the air.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 70-90 mm
Size: 45-55 mm
Lifespan: 30-90 days
Flight Speed: 45 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

This dragonfly is an aerial hunter, preying on many different flying insects for its meals.

Age differences: Nymphs hunt aquatic invertebrates underwater; adults hunt flying insects in the air.

Primary Foods

Mosquitoes
Midges
Flies
Gnats
Moths

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Yellow Fever Mosquito

Aedes aegypti

Eats adult mosquitoes

hunts

House Fly

Musca domestica

Preys on flying adult flies

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Adults are eaten by frogs

eaten by

Yellow Perch

Perca flavescens

Nymphs are eaten by fish

Traits

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

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.

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.