Damselfly Diet
The damselfly is an insect similar in appearance to the common dragonfly. Damselflies can be distinguished from dragonflies because their wings are held along their body when they are not in flight, as opposed to fanned out like a dragonfly's wings. Damselflies also have segmented eyes and are generally smaller than dragonflies. Like the dragonfly, the damselfly's diet consists mostly of insects, both on land and in the water.
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Insects
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Damselflies feed mainly on insects such as mosquitoes and flies. Damselflies most commonly feed on insects such as flies, mosquitoes, midges, beetles, mosquito larvae and water bugs. They grab their prey from the air or the top of the water.
Damselfly Larvae
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Large damselfly larvae feed on small fish and tadpoles. Damselfly larvae are aquatic, living only in the water. They feed on other aquatic insects such as water bugs, bloodworms, mosquitoes and flies. Damselfly larvae are also known to feed on tadpoles and small fish. They occasionally feed on the larvae of other damselflies and dragonflies.
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Spiders
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Some species of damselfly grab spiders out of their webs. Some species of damselfly, usually those native to tropical climates, have been known to feed on spiders by flying above the spiderweb and grabbing the insect when it walks across the web. Damselflies also commonly eat insects caught in spiderwebs.
Other Damselflies
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Some damselflies eat other species of damselflies and dragonflies. Some species of damselfly are known to eat larger insects such as moths, butterflies and also other species of damselfly and dragonfly.
Hind Legs
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Damselflies hunt using their hind legs. The damselfly has hind legs that are covered with fine, bristlelike hairs. After the damselfly uses its hind legs to grab insects out of the air or from the top of the water, it holds the insect in its hind legs to eat it.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit damselfly image by Alison Bowden from Fotolia.com Emerald Damselfly image by john barber from Fotolia.com Fish swimming in the sea image by Lucid_Exposure from Fotolia.com European garden spider (Araneus diadematus, cross spider) image by Lars Lachmann from Fotolia.com damselfly image by pncphotos from Fotolia.com damsel flies, image by david purday from Fotolia.com
