Coenagrionidae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coenagrionidae
Male Ceriagrion glabrum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Superfamily:	Coenagrionoidea
Family:	Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890
Diversity
at least 110 genera

The insect family Coenagrionidae is a group of insects that belong to the larger order called Odonata. Within Odonata, they are part of the suborder known as Zygoptera, which are the damselflies.

Even though they are not as famous as dragonflies, damselflies are very common. This family has over 1,300 different kinds of species, making it the biggest damselfly family in the world! The Coenagrionidae family is divided into six smaller groups called subfamilies: Agriocnemidinae, Argiinae, Coenagrioninae, Ischnurinae, Leptobasinae, and Pseudagrioninae.

People often call this family the "narrow-winged damselflies" or "pond damselflies." You can find Coenagrionidae all over the world, and they are some of the most common damselflies you will see. This family also includes the smallest damselfly species. Today, scientists recognize more than 110 different groups, or genera, within the Coenagrionidae family.

What's in a Name?

The name Coenagrionidae likely comes from ancient Greek words. Coen means "shared" or "common," and agrio means "fields" or "wild." So, it might mean "common wild damselflies."

Cool Features

A close-up of the wing of a variable damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum).

Coenagrionidae damselflies have some special features:

• They often have a black pattern on their bodies.
• Their main body color can be green, blue, yellow, orange, or even purple!
• Their wings are usually narrow, clear, and look like they have a stalk at the base.
• They have two special veins near the front of their wings called antenodal cross veins.
• Another vein, called M3, starts closer to the middle of the wing (the nodus) than to the base (the arculus).

You can usually spot adult damselflies from this family near water, like ponds and wetlands. The females lay their eggs on plants, either living or dead, that are underwater. Some species can even crawl underwater to lay their eggs! The young damselflies, called nymphs, usually hide among underwater plants or debris.

Different Kinds of Damselflies

The Eastern billabong fly (Austroagrion watsoni), a female.

The Coromandel marsh dart (Ceriagrion coromandelianum).

The Azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella).

The Blue-tailed damselfly (Ischnura elegans).

The Saffron-faced blue dart (Pseudagrion rubriceps).

Here are some of the many different groups (genera) that belong to the Coenagrionidae family:

See also

In Spanish: Cenagriónidos para niños