Dragonfly
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 (CC) Photo: John Wright
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Dragonflies are insects belonging to the order Odonata, the infraorder Anisoptera. They are characterized by an elongated body, two pairs of strong, usually transparent wings, and large multifaceted eyes. Eyes touch in most species. Wings are held perpendicular to the body when at rest. Hindwings broaden near the base. The last three features can be used to distinguished dragonflies from damselflies.
Bibliography
Philip S. Corbet. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0801425929.
Rosser W. Garrison, Natalia von Ellenrieder, Jerry A. Louton. Dragonfly Genera of the New World: An Illustrated and Annotated Key to the Anisoptera. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0801884467.
Richard E. White, Donald J. Borror, Roger Tory Peterson. A Field Guide to Insects. Houghton Mifflin, 1998. ISBN 978-0395911709.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Sidney W. Dunkle. Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. Oxford University Press, USA, 2000. ISBN 978-0195112689.
Dragonflies (Wild Guide). Cynthia Berger, Amelia Hansen. Dragonflies (Wild Guide). Stackpole Books, 2004. ISBN 978-0811729710.
Forrest L. Mitchell, James L. Lasswell. A Dazzle of Dragonflies. Texas A&M University Press, 2005. ISBN 978-1585444595.