| Megaloprepus caerulatus | |
|---|---|
| |
| female M. caerulatus in Costa Rica | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Coenagrionidae |
| Genus: | Megaloprepus Rambur, 1842 |
| Species: | M. caerulatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Megaloprepus caerulatus (Drury, 1782)
| |
Megaloprepus caerulatus, also known as the blue-winged helicopter, is a forest giant damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. Forest giant damselflies were previously recognized as their own family, Pseudostigmatidae. M. caerulatus is found in wet and moist forests in Central and South America. It has the greatest wingspan of any living damselfly or dragonfly, up to 19 centimetres (7.5 in) in the largest males. Its large size and the markings on its wings make it a conspicuous species; a hovering Megaloprepus has been described as a "pulsating blue-and-white beacon".[2]
As an adult it feeds on orb-weaver spiders in the forest understory, which it plucks from their webs. It lays its eggs in water-filled holes in trees; males defend the larger holes as breeding territories. The naiad is a top predator in its tree-hole habitat, feeding on tadpoles and aquatic insects, including the larvae of mosquito species that are vectors of human disease.
- ^ Bota-Sierra, C.A.; Florez, C. & Sandoval-H, J. (2021). "Megaloprepus caerulatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T49254229A49256749. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-2.RLTS.T49254229A49256749.en. Retrieved 23 May 2024.
- ^ Leigh, 38.