Narrow-winged damselflies

Definition

A family of damselflies (Odonata: Zygoptera) characterized by slender bodies, narrow petiolate wings typically held parallel to the abdomen at rest, and relatively simple wing venation. Members are generally small to medium-sized with delicate builds, and most species fold their wings together above the body when perched, distinguishing them from spreadwing damselflies (Lestidae) and dragonflies (Anisoptera). The family is cosmopolitan and ecologically diverse, with larvae typically inhabiting lentic or slow-flowing lotic waters.

Etymology

From 'narrow' + 'winged' (referring to the slender, petiolate wing shape) + 'damselfly' (diminutive of 'dragonfly,' from Middle English 'damselfie,' perhaps alluding to delicate appearance).

Example

The common blue damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum), a widespread narrow-winged damselfly, exhibits the family's typical wing-folding behavior and inhabits ponds across the Palearctic.

Synonyms

• Coenagrionidae
• pond damselflies
• forktails (informal, for Ischnura)

Related Terms

• spreadwing damselflies
• Zygoptera
• Odonata
• Petiolate
• damselfly
• dragonfly
• Teneral
• Exuviae
• stigma (pterostigma)

Usage Notes

The common name 'narrow-winged damselflies' is primarily used in North American contexts; British and European literature more often refers to this group as 'Coenagrionidae' or simply as pond damselflies. Not all members have conspicuously narrow wings—some tropical genera have relatively broad wings—so the name reflects typical morphology rather than a universal diagnostic trait. The family is distinguished from Lestidae (spreadwings) by wing posture at rest and from Calopterygidae (broad-winged damselflies) by wing shape and venation complexity. Larval identification relies on caudal lamellae structure and tracheal gill morphology.