Description

Dragonfly nymph – Libellulidae naiad

Pliocene

Rita Blanca Formation

Oldham County, TX USA.

17mm dragonfly nymph on 69mm slab.

Insect.

Dragonflies have a long fossil history dating back to the Pennsylvanian Period.  It was a time of a higher oxygen content in the atmosphere and this allowed insects and other terrestrial invertebrates to grow much larger than they do today.  Some dragonflies had wingspans over two feet.

Fossil specimens of both larval and adult dragonflies have been found from the Mesozoic to Cenozoic (sites in the Americas, Europe) but they tend to be uncommon – rare at some sites.  Today, larvae (naiads or nymphs) live in freshwater ponds and lakes for several years before crawling out of the water, molting, and then flying off as an adult.  Naiads feed on mosquito larvae or whatever they can catch and the adults feed on adult mosquitoes or whatever they can catch.