Australian Dragonflies: A Guide to the Identification, Distributions and Habitats of Australian Odonata

Dragonflies are conspicuous insects. Many are large; they fly strongly; most are brightly coloured. As a result, they have been collected extensively. Their larvae are less familiar. 'Mud-eyes', as some are called, are drab, and almost all live in fresh waters, out of sight. They are, perhaps, best known as bait for freshwater fish. The dragonflies constitute a very distinct order of insects, the Odonata. In Australia, two suborders are represented: damselflies (Zygoptera), generally very slende…