Odonata
order of insects
Odonata is an order of predatory flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies (as well as the Epiophlebia damsel-dragonflies). The two major groups are distinguished with dragonflies (Anisoptera) usually being bulkier with large compound eyes together and wings spread up or out at rest, while damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are usually more slender with eyes placed apart and wings folded together along body at rest. Adult odonates can land and perch, but rarely walk.
All odonates have aquatic larvae called naiads or nymphs, and all of them, larvae and adults, are carnivorous and are almost entirely insectivorous, although at the larval stage they will eat anything that they can overpower, including small fish, tadpoles, and even adult newts. The adults are superb aerial hunters and their legs are specialised for catching prey in flight.
Odonata in its narrow sense forms a subgroup of the broader Odonatoptera, which contains other dragonfly-like insects.
The scientific study of the Odonata is called odonatology.
Etymology and terminology
Johan Christian Fabricius coined the term Odonata in 1793 from the Ancient Greek ὀδών odṓn (Ionic form of ὀδούς odoús) "tooth". One hypothesis is that it was because their maxillae are notably toothed.
The word dragonfly usually denotes only Anisoptera, but is sometimes used to mean all Odonata.
The public source identifies “Odonata” as order of insects. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Odonata, order and insects.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25375. The first chronological checks are 1793.
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This entry incorporates text from “Odonata” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.