Anotogaster sieboldii
Encyclopedia
Anotogaster sieboldii or in Japanese
is the largest species of dragonfly
native to Japan
. It can grow between 95 and 100 mm in length.
live for three to five years moulting
as many as ten times and growing as large as five centemeters in length. Once this size, the larva will feed on tadpole
s and small fish. The adult dragonfly can mate
and lay eggs within one to two months of metamorphosis
. After mating, females head toward small creeks or ponds, not fast moving rivers or lakes, to lay eggs. They will sometimes fly perpendicular to the water, laying their eggs in mud or sand under the surface.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
is the largest species of dragonfly
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
native to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It can grow between 95 and 100 mm in length.
Life cycle
Eggs hatch within a month of being laid. The larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
live for three to five years moulting
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in many invertebrates. This process of moulting is the defining feature of the clade Ecdysozoa, comprising the arthropods, nematodes, velvet worms, horsehair worms, rotifers, tardigrades and Cephalorhyncha...
as many as ten times and growing as large as five centemeters in length. Once this size, the larva will feed on tadpole
Tadpole
A tadpole or polliwog is the wholly aquatic larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian, particularly that of a frog or toad.- Appellation :...
s and small fish. The adult dragonfly can mate
Mating
In biology, mating is the pairing of opposite-sex or hermaphroditic organisms for copulation. In social animals, it also includes the raising of their offspring. Copulation is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reproducing animals for insemination and subsequent internal fertilization...
and lay eggs within one to two months of metamorphosis
Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops after birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation...
. After mating, females head toward small creeks or ponds, not fast moving rivers or lakes, to lay eggs. They will sometimes fly perpendicular to the water, laying their eggs in mud or sand under the surface.
External links
- comprehensive list of dragonfly species in Japan (Archived 2009-10-25)