# Dragonhunter

*Hagenius brevistylus*

The aquatic nymph is flat, wide, and dark, mimicking a submerged decaying deciduous leaf on the riverbed.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Gomphidae › Hagenius
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** aquatic
- **Habitat:** Clean, rocky or sandy forest streams and rivers, as well as adjacent riparian woodland margins.
- **Diet:** Carnivorous; nymphs eat aquatic insects, tadpoles, and small fish; adults prey on other dragonflies, bees, wasps, and butterflies.
- **Range:** Canada, United States
- **Size:** 73–90 mm in body length with a wingspan up to 114 mm
- **Lifespan:** 2–4 yr
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Siltation, damming of lotic waters, pollution of clean streams, and clearance of riparian woodland.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless to humans. Dragonhunters have no stinger and possess no venom. They are wary and fly off when approached. If caught and handled carelessly, their large mandibles can deliver a harmless pinch that rarely breaks the skin; wash any scratch with soap and water.

## About

The dragonhunter ( Hagenius brevistylus ) is a clubtail dragonfly of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/c86fb8e7-ee74-4551-b384-76c610f18d02
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/102006
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagenius brevistylus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/83507340/medium.jpg (Jimmy Dee, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.