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Sticker of Kiowa dancer
Bug card No. 2451 of 4,939

Kiowa dancer

Argia immunda
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The Kiowa dancer is a damselfly, a slim cousin of the dragonfly. It has a long, thin body and flits over the water like a little dancer. It lives in North and Central America.

Lives in
North and Central America, near streams and ponds
Top speed
about 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Damselflies cannot sting and are no danger to people.
What does it eat?
Like all damselflies, it catches small flying insects. Its young live in the water and hunt tiny water animals.
For real!Photo of Kiowa dancer
Picture by Bob Danley. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is a damselfly. Damselflies are thinner than dragonflies and many fold their wings along their body when they rest.

2

There are plenty of them, and scientists say the species is not in danger.

3

Like every damselfly, it starts life in the water as a nymph before it climbs out and gets wings.

you asked

Most asked questions about Kiowa dancer

?Is the Kiowa dancer a dragonfly?

Not quite. It is a damselfly, a thinner, more delicate cousin of the dragonfly.

?Does the Kiowa dancer sting?

No. Damselflies have no stinger and are harmless.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Argia immunda
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Coenagrionidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Coenagrionidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Argia immunda (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Bob Danley. CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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