Nemian dragonfly

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The Bug Collection
Nemian Dragonfly
Habitat:Inland lakes of temperate zones, marine shorelines.
Description:Shaded in dark greens, blues and violets, the Nemian Dragonfly is rather menacing-looking, despite the near absence of any aggressive behavior. A flattened head with lateral eyes sets atop a long thin body, the tail of which is slightly curled downward. While they possess six legs, the rearmost pair may be vestigial, as they are less than half the length of the forward four. When perched, Their three-thum length tips precariously forward on the first four legs, and the rear pair 'walk in place'. At such times, the down-curling tail is nearly parallel to the water's surface.
Notes:Perhaps the only known dragonfly to demonstrate some tolerance to caustic salt water, they can be found on every continent. In flight, they often trail their down-curled tails along the water's surface, although the purpose of this has not been discovered. It is this behavior that prompted sailors to dub them 'Sea Scorpions', despite their possession of wings and no stingers.

Males and females can become 'locked' during mating, unable to release, with the male flying in an inverted position until the eggs can be laid, or the handicapped pair falls victim to their much slower, encumbered movement. They have been dubbed 'Nemian', after the legendary lost colony of dryads, perhaps owing to their leaf-shaped wings.

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