Red-eyed Damselfly vs Ancient Greenling

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Red-eyed Damselfly Ancient Greenling
Scientific Name Erythromma najas Hemiphlebia mirabilis
Order Odonata Odonata
Family Coenagrionidae Hemiphlebiidae
Size 30-36 mm 20-25 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Wetlands
Diet Herbivores Predators
Regions Europe, Asia Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Red-eyed Damselfly

A stocky blue damselfly with distinctive dark red eyes. It spends most of its time perched on floating lily pads rather than bankside vegetation.

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Did You Know?

It is almost always found sitting on lily pads far from shore, unlike most damselflies.

Ancient Greenling

The sole surviving member of one of the most ancient damselfly families on Earth.

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Did You Know?

It is considered a living fossil and the most phylogenetically isolated odonate alive.