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Project Noah Nature School
Brown, with wing pads, long legs, and a short abdomen. If I had a shot of the underside, you could see the mouthpart: an extended labium that is spoon-like.
Fen, on a leaf near a stream.
This is the molted skin, or exuviae, of a dragonfly naiad (juvenile form). It differs from damselfly naiad exuviae in that there are no long gills projecting from the abdomen. Also in dragonfly naiads, the heads tend to be narrower than the thorax and abdomen (opposite in the damselflies). Judging by the body shape of this naiad, it might be in the family Libellulidae, or possibly Gomphidae. Found at Cedar Bog State Nature Preserve.c
Spotted on Jul 10, 2011
Submitted on Aug 6, 2011
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