Dragonflies are conspicuous insects. Many are large; they fly strongly; most are brightly coloured. As a result, they have been collected extensively. Their larvae are less familiar. »Mud-eyes », as some are called, are drab, and almost all live in freshwaters, out of sight. They are, perhaps, best known as bait for freshwater fish. The dragonflies constitute a very distinct order of insects, the Odonata. In Australia, two suborders are represented: damselflies (Zygoptera), generally very slender insects, the fore- and hindwings similar in shape and venation and commonly held closed above the body at rest (Figs 46-63), the larvae with external gills on the end of the abdomen (Figs 4A-C, E); and dragonflies proper (Anisoptera), stouter, stronger-flying insects, the fore- and hindwings more or less dissimilar in shape and venation and commonly held spread at rest (Figs 64-101), the larvae with internal, rectal gills (see Chapter 2). Living representatives of the third suborder (Anisozygoptera) are confined to Japan and the Himalayas. The term »dragonfly » is commonly applied to the entire order.
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