Anotogaster sieboldii

Anotogaster sieboldii
Anotogaster sieboldii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Hexapoda
Order: Odonata
Family: Cordulegastridae
Genus: Anotogaster
Species: A. sieboldii
Binomial name
Anotogaster sieboldii
Sélys, 1854

Anotogaster sieboldii or oniyanma (オニヤンマ、鬼蜻蜓、馬大頭) in Japanese is the largest species of dragonfly native to Japan. It can grow between 95 and 100 mm in length.[1] It is also found in other parts of Asia.

Life cycle

Anotogaster sieboldii on a twig
An Anotogaster sieboldii' or oniyanma (オニヤンマ) seen on a twig in the Nasu Highlands of Tochigi, Japan

Eggs hatch within a month of being laid. The larvae live for three to five years, moulting as many as ten times and growing as large as five centimeters in length. Once this size, the larvae will feed on tadpoles 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 perpendicularly to the water, laying their eggs in mud or sand under the surface.


Notes

  1. ↑ ふしぎがわかる　しぜん図鑑　こんちゅう, page 35. Froebel-Kan CO., LTD., 1999

References