Burying-behavior
Guides
Macromia illinoiensis illinoiensis
Illinois River Cruiser
A subspecies of river cruiser dragonfly whose larvae are frequently colonized by invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Larvae exhibit burying behavior in substrates and employ both sit-and-wait ambush and active sprawling foraging strategies. Research indicates zebra mussel attachment negatively affects prey capture rates and alters burying depth, with behavioral changes reversing upon natural mussel loss at molting.