Macromiidae
Family of dragonflies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Macromiidae is a family of dragonflies.[2] The family contains species known as cruisers or skimmers. They are known to fly over bodies of water and roads. They are similar to Aeshnidae in size, but with green eyes that barely meet at the top of their head.[3]
| Macromiidae | |
|---|---|
| |
| Macromia illinoiensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Superfamily: | Libelluloidea |
| Family: | Macromiidae Needham, 1903[1] |
| Genera | |
|
Epophthalmia Burmeister, 1839 | |
The family Macromiidae is in the superfamily Libelluloidea. It contains three genera and 125 species worldwide.[2]
Females of this family lack an ovipositor at the end of their abdomen and lay their eggs by dipping their abdomen in water as they fly over. Ovipositing is usually done without a male present.
Members of the family are found on every continent, but there are very few records from South America and much of Europe and central Eurasia. They are most observed in East and Southeast Asia, North America, and sub-Saharan Africa.[4]
Early stages
Genera
The World Odonata List (2025) recognises the following genera in Macromiidae: [2]
- Epophthalmia Burmeister, 1839
- Macromia Rambur, 1842
- Phyllomacromia Selys, 1878
