Dragonfly

A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera, within the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species are known, most of them tropical, with fewer species found in temperate regions. Adult dragonflies are characterized by a pair of large, multifaceted compound eyes containing nearly 24,000 ommatidia each, two pairs of strong transparent wings often marked with colored patches, and an elongated body that frequently shows brilliant iridescent or metallic coloration. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations worldwide.