Abstract
Macromiidae is a relatively small family with only two genera and nine species occurring in North America. The nymphs are large sprawling dragonflies with very long legs; they are predominantly river inhabitants although a few species also occur in lakes and ponds. The North American species have a triangular, upturned projection on the frontal shelf. Two other diagnostic traits for the family are found on the thoracic venter: on the mesinfraepimeron there is a triangular, anteriorly-directed lobe on each side of the postmentum, and on the poststernite there is a medial, transverse, setose tubercle. The two genera in North America, Didymops and Macromia, are distinguished mainly by the width of the head relative to maximum abdominal width, length of tarsal claws, and the extent that the middorsal ridge on abdominal segment 10 projects apically. Macromiids appear to be long-lived as nymphs, probably requiring at least two or three years to complete development.
from water to air
Macromia crawls up—
borne on stilts
Tennessen
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Tennessen, K. (2019). Macromiidae. In: Dragonfly Nymphs of North America. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97776-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97776-8_10
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