Dragonfly vs Damselfly: Wings, Eyes and How to Tell Them Apart

Key differences at a glance

Dragonflies and damselflies both belong to the insect order Odonata, a name taken from the Greek word for tooth. They share long bodies, two pairs of transparent wings, large compound eyes, predatory habits and an aquatic nymph stage. Biologists divide them into two suborders: the true dragonflies (Anisoptera, meaning “unequal wings”) and the damselflies (Zygoptera, meaning “paired wings”).

Each group has roughly 3,000 known species worldwide. Most live in the tropics, but Europe and North America have many of both. A typical summer pond might hold several species of each, such as the common green darner and bluet damselflies in North America, or the emperor dragonfly and azure damselfly in Europe.

The table at the top of this page sums up the differences. The sections below explain each one and its exceptions.

Wings: spread flat or folded

At rest, a dragonfly holds its wings straight out to the sides, like an airplane. It cannot fold them over its back. A damselfly usually folds its wings together, held along or above the abdomen.

The wing shapes differ too. In dragonflies, the hindwings are broader at the base than the forewings, which is where the name Anisoptera comes from. In damselflies, all four wings are about the same shape and narrow toward the body, almost like a stalk.

There is one important exception. Spreadwing damselflies (family Lestidae), found in both Europe and North America, rest with their wings held partly open, at an angle. Their slim bodies and widely separated eyes still identify them as damselflies.

Eyes: touching or far apart

Dragonfly eyes are huge and wrap around most of the head. In most families they touch, or nearly touch, on top of the head, leaving the head looking like one big pair of goggles. Clubtails (Gomphidae) and petaltails are the main exceptions, with eyes that are clearly separated.

In damselflies, the eyes sit at each end of a wide, short head, like the ends of a dumbbell or hammer, with a clear gap between them. This is one of the most reliable ways to tell the two groups apart.

Body shape and size

Dragonflies are thick-bodied and strongly built, especially in the thorax, which holds powerful flight muscles. Damselflies are slim and delicate, with an abdomen often no wider than a pine needle.

In Europe and North America, most damselflies are about 2–6 cm (0.8–2.4 in) long. Dragonflies range from about 2 cm (0.8 in) in the tiny elfin skimmer of North America to around 8 cm (3 in) in large darners and golden-ringed dragonflies, and up to about 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in the giant darner of the US Southwest. Size alone is not foolproof, though. The largest living odonate by wingspan is a tropical damselfly, Megaloprepus caerulatus of Central and South America, with a wingspan up to about 19 cm (7.5 in).

Where and when to see them

Both groups are easiest to find on warm, sunny days from late spring to early fall, near ponds, lakes, marshes and slow streams with plenty of plants. Neither flies much in cool, cloudy or windy weather.

Damselflies are usually seen low down, perched on reeds, rushes and floating leaves right at the water’s edge. Look for the bright blue and black bluets of North America or the azure and common blue damselflies of Europe. Along rivers in both regions, jewelwings and demoiselles (genus Calopteryx) stand out with their metallic green or blue bodies and dark-colored wings.

Dragonflies are easier to spot in open air: patrolling over the middle of a pond, hunting over meadows and lawns, or basking on sunny paths, rocks and fence posts.

Flight and behavior

Dragonflies are powerful, fast fliers. Many patrol over water or open ground for long periods, and some, such as the common green darner and the wandering glider, migrate long distances. Large dragonflies can reach roughly 36–54 km/h (22–34 mph).

Damselflies fly more slowly and weakly, with a fluttering style. Most stay close to water and the shelter of vegetation, picking small insects off leaves or catching them in short flights. Damselflies also tend to have smaller ranges, and many individuals spend their lives within a short distance of the pond or stream where they grew up.

Both groups are predators. Dragonflies tackle a wider range of prey, including butterflies and other dragonflies, while damselflies take small insects such as midges and aphids. See what do dragonflies eat? for details.

Nymphs: two ways to breathe underwater

The differences continue underwater. Damselfly nymphs are slim and carry three leaf-like gills at the tip of the abdomen. They swim with a fish-like wriggle, using the gills almost like a tail fin.

Dragonfly nymphs are stockier and have no visible tail gills. They breathe through gills inside the rectum, pumping water in and out of the rear end. By squirting water out forcefully, a dragonfly nymph can jet forward to escape danger.

Both kinds of nymph catch prey with the same tool, a hinged, extendable lower lip called the mask. The nymph stage lasts months to years, much longer than adult life, as explained in how long do dragonflies live?

Mating and egg-laying

Dragonflies and damselflies mate in the same unusual way. The male grabs the female behind the head with claspers at the tip of his abdomen, and the pair forms a “wheel” or heart shape while mating. Many pairs fly in tandem afterward.

All damselflies insert their eggs into plant stems or other material using a blade-like ovipositor. Among dragonflies, darners do the same, but many others, including skimmers and darters, simply tap their abdomens on the water surface or drop eggs into it.

Is there anything in between?

Yes, a tiny group. A few species in the genus Epiophlebia, found in Japan, the Himalayas and parts of China, combine features of both groups. They have a dragonfly-like body but wings shaped more like those of damselflies. Recent classifications place them alongside the true dragonflies, and they are sometimes nicknamed “damsel-dragons”.

Dragonflies and damselflies cannot interbreed. They are separate lineages that diverged long ago, and the fossil record of damselflies alone goes back about 150 million years. Neither group is harmful to people: see do dragonflies bite or sting?