蜻蜓的羽化
Emerging as Adults
蜻蜓與豆娘是水陸雙棲的動物，屬於不完全變態的昆蟲，生活史有卵、稚蟲與成蟲三個階段，水蠆生活在水裡，羽化的成蟲飛翔在空中。
Dragonflies and damselflies are animals that live on land and water. They are incompletely metamorphic insects. The life cycle has three stages: eggs, nymphs and adults. The nymphs live in water, and the emerging adults fly in the air.
蜻蜓屬於不完全變態的昆蟲，生活史只有卵、稚蟲及成蟲三個階段。
Dragonflies are insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Their life cycle has only three stages: egg, nymph, and adult.
卵
高砂蜻蜓卵
黃紉蜻蜓卵
黃肩洵蟌卵
產卵痕
稚蟲
卵孵化後的稚蟲，稱為水蠆。第一齡稚蟲外表很特別，像一隻小蝦米，稱為前稚蟲。前稚蟲很快就蛻皮為第二齡稚蟲，所以不容易觀察到。
水蠆在經過約9-14次的蛻皮後會羽化為成蟲，水蠆期所需的時間因種類及食物的多寡而差異很大，短則不到一個月，長的甚至可達數年。
The length of the nymph stage varies depending on the species and the available food supply; some last for less than a month while others can stay as a nymph for several years.
羽化
羽化前，終齡稚蟲會順著適當的支撐物爬出水面，開始羽化時，表皮從頭胸處裂開，成蟲掙脫爬出外殼，等到腹部跟翅膀完全伸展開來，具有飛行能力，才算羽化成功。
蜻蜓羽化時非常脆弱，任何的風吹草動都有可能使羽化失敗。為了避開捕食者，大多蜻蜓會選擇在傍晚到清晨時羽化，持續時間在2個小時以上；而春蜓及細蟌則習慣在白天羽化，羽化時間較短，大約在1個小時以內。
A nymph ready for emergence (last instar) will crawl out of water. Its thorax splits open, and the adult crawls out of its old skin. Once the abdomen and wings are fully extended and ready for flight, the transformation is complete.
環紋琵蟌羽化
球角春蜓羽化
黃紉蜻蜓羽化
扶桑蜻蜓羽化
倒垂式羽化
直立式羽化
成蟲
豆娘交配
棋紋鼓蟌產卵
