Damselfly Nymph

Statistics

Taxonomic suborder: Zygoptera

Length: 0.5 to 2.5 cm

Average life span: 2 to 4 years

Juvenile stage (in water): 2 months to 3 years

Adult stage (out of water): less than 6 months

When To See

The larvae can be found in ponds and streams all year round. The adults are usually only around in the late spring to late summer.

Photo credit: BugGuide.net & British Dragonfly Society

Habitat

Similar to Dragonflies, but with a smaller range when adults. These creatures spend most of their life cycle in boggy waters such as impoundments in rivers, ponds and pools in steams. They are fast hunters, chasing down their prey on the bottom of the river or pond which they catch using their extendable mouthparts.

How To Identify

Slender, with 6 thin legs and small wing buds on the thorax. 3 leaf-shaped gills protrude from the tip of the abdomen like a tails. The head is wider than the thorax.

Seen It?

Been kicking about in your local river and come across one of these invertebrates? Not sure? Share it with us at trust@forthriverstrust.org, we enjoy chatting about inverts with you.