Water Measurer vs Ghost Darner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Water Measurer Ghost Darner
Scientific Name Hydrometra australis Anax longipes
Order Hemiptera Odonata
Family Hydrometridae Aeshnidae
Size 8-11 mm 73-80 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Ponds & Lakes
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Americas, from southern United States to South America North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Water Measurer

A very slender, elongate semi-aquatic bug that walks slowly on water surfaces in the Americas. Its head is exceptionally long and narrow with a small rostrum at the tip. It moves with slow, deliberate steps along pond margins.

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Did You Know?

It is so lightweight that it can walk on the water surface without breaking the surface tension, leaving no visible dimples where its feet contact the water.

Ghost Darner

A large green-eyed dragonfly with a distinctively long reddish-brown abdomen.

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Did You Know?

Males patrol over water with a conspicuous undulating flight pattern.