Yellow-horned dragonfly - Yellow-horned dragonfly

An insect belonging to the family Polypteridae in the order Insecta. This horned dragonfly has beautiful yellow bands and lines along the veins of its dark brown hind wings. Its body length is 20-25 mm. Its wingspan is about 52 mm, with females being slightly larger. Its body is black and covered in long, dense hairs. Its antennae are very similar to those of butterflies, long and bulging like spatulas at the tips. Its compound eyes are large. Its forewings are transparent and yellowish at the base. Males have a pair of hook-like appendages at the end of their tails. It is distributed in Honshu and Kyushu, and can be found in grasslands and dry riverbeds. The larvae live under stones and other places where they prey on other insects. Adults appear between April and June.

[Yamazaki Egane]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

昆虫綱脈翅(みゃくし)目ツノトンボ科に属する昆虫。暗褐色の後翅の翅脈に沿って美しい黄色の帯や線をもつツノトンボ。体長20～25ミリメートル。はねの開張幅52ミリメートル内外で、雌はやや大形。体は黒色で、長い毛を密生する。触角はチョウの触角とよく似ており、長くて先端がへら状に膨らむ。複眼は大きい。前翅は透明で、基部は黄色を帯びる。雄は尾端に1対の鉤(かぎ)状付属物をもつ。本州、九州に分布し、草原や乾いた河原などにみられる。幼虫は石の下などにいてほかの昆虫を捕食する。成虫は4～6月ごろに出現する。

［山崎柄根］

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