Dragonflies

The flying insect is the adult stage. In their mostly aquatic larval stage they are called nymphs and unlike the adults, can deliver a painful bite (not a sting). Nymphs jet propel themselves and breath underwater. The Dragonfly has 6 legs but it is virtually impossible for it to walk. It either flies or stands most of its life. Some species can struggle to climb down plants to lay their eggs well below the water's surface. The dragonfly has a full six degrees of flight direction and can hover.

A 'group' of dragonflies is called a swarm. Although they don't really form groups; a group is merely associated with an aquatic area where they all lay eggs and the nymphs grow up. Some males are even territorial when they locate a good site to lay their eggs. Size, colors, and occasionally physical confrontations are used in defense. Most fascinating is species that use their flying skills to out maneuver each other like a couple of fighter pilots. The more skilled aviator wins with no physical confrontation necessary. When two dragonflies are seen attached to each other while flying, they may or may not be doing what you are thinking; but they are on their way to it, or recently done. 'Tandem' couples truly meet the definition of a dragonfly swarm. But in some species, a group of males will follow the pair as part of the true swarm, just in case the female changes her mind. Eventually, if the female doesn't change her mind, the pair will land and maneuver into the 'wheel position'. Its easily recognized by the long bodies of the couple forming the shape of a heart, How romantic. Afterwards, they may remain physically attached to each other for some time. Sadly, you'll probably never see any of this in a videogame.

The adult dragonfly and damselfly are often mistaken for each other. Science has determined that they are distantly related and the share some common traits and behaviors. Dragon flies eyes touch or are close together. Their wings can move downward past the horizontal position but not a lot upward to the relaxed position of damselfly wings that can even touch each other above the damselfly. A damselfly can fold its wings back parallell against is body, something a dragonfly can not do. Most dragonflies are generally larger, more spectacularly colored, and more varied in body shape.

Dragonflies have an undeserved sinister reputation in old world mythology and folk tales. The adults neither sting nor bite humans (nymphs will defend themselves however). But new world traditions recognize their associations with good water quality and changing weather conditions. Plus, they eat mosquitoes and other tiny insect pests. Due to their size and often spectacular coloring, they are collected (along with damselflies) almost as often as butterflies and kept as pets just as often due to being slightly tougher than a butterfly. Note, Dragonflies eat butterflies and both of them are not very common pets. Many people in North America are as likely to let a dragon touch them fly as they are a ladybug or butterfly, once they are convinced they do not bite or sting (Dragonflies definitely have serious styling that implies 'tough predator' much more that ladybugs or butterflies).

According to science, meganeura is not a dragonfly. Its not a damselfly either. Just looked similar.