Erythemis collocata

Western pondhawk
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Erythemis
Species:
E. collocata
Binomial name
Erythemis collocata
(Hagen, 1861)

Erythemis collocata, the western pondhawk, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to western Canada, the western United States, and Mexico.

Food Resources

Erythemis collocata is known to feed on the western malaria mosquito, Anopheles freeborni. This predation primarily occurs at dusk, when A. freeborni aggregate into swarms in order to mate. Due to the reliance of E. collocata on visual stimuli to attack its prey, the frequency of attacks decreases as the sky gets darker.[1]

References

  1. ^ Yuval, B.; Bouskila, A. (1993-03-01). "Temporal dynamics of mating and predation in mosquito swarms". Oecologia. 95 (1): 65–69. Bibcode:1993Oecol..95...65Y. doi:10.1007/BF00649508. ISSN 1432-1939. PMID 28313313.
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