• 13 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Dragonfly

A dragonfly from above, then one wing and a nymph close up.

Parts of a Dragonfly

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Head
  2. Compound eyes
  3. Antennae
  4. Thorax
  5. Abdomen
  6. Forewings
  7. Hindwings
  8. Legs
  9. Claspers
  10. Wing veins
  11. Nodus
  12. Pterostigma
  13. Labium (mask)

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the parts of a butterfly

All 13 parts on the diagram

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The dragonfly 9

  1. Head Large, and nearly covered by the two compound eyes.
  2. Compound eyes Huge eyes that cover most of the head.
  3. Antennae Very short and bristle-like, easy to miss.
  4. Thorax The middle section. It carries the four wings and six legs.
  5. Abdomen Long and slender, in ten segments.
  6. Forewings The front pair of wings. All four are clear and netted.
  7. Hindwings The rear pair, broader at the base than the forewings.
  8. Legs Spiny legs, held like a basket to catch insects in flight.
  9. Claspers Grasping appendages at the tip of a male's abdomen.

Wing and nymph 4

  1. Wing veins Each wing has a dense net of veins and crossveins.
  2. Nodus A joint-like notch in the middle of the wing's front edge.
  3. Pterostigma A thickened cell on the front edge, near the wing tip.
  4. Labium (mask) The nymph's lower lip. It shoots out to catch prey.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) North Carolina State University, ENT 425 General Entomology, Odonata, https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/insect-identification/order-odonata/ (large compound eyes, short bristle-like antennae, four membranous wings rich in veins and crossveins, the hind wing broader at the base, the stigma on the leading edge, the long slender abdomen, the male's claspers, legs used as a basket, the nymph's labium); (2) Wikipedia, Dragonfly, Odonata, Insect wing and Pterostigma, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odonata (head, thorax and abdomen; the large head with very short antennae; compound eyes covering most of the head; the pterostigma near the wing tip; the node on the leading edge; the abdomen of 10 segments with claspers; rows of spines on the legs; the labial mask of the nymph); (3) J. H. Comstock, A Manual for the Study of Insects, chapter VI, https://archive.org/details/rnanualforstudyof00coms_0 (wings finely netted with veins; the nodus near the middle of the front margin); (4) University of Kentucky Entomology, Kentucky Critter Files, Dragonflies, https://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/dragonflies/dragonflies.htm (three body parts, two very short antennae, two pairs of wings, large compound eyes, the pattern of veins in the wings, the aquatic naiads). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work

How it works

The body parts of a dragonfly are a head that is nearly all eye, a stout thorax with four netted wings and six spiny legs, and a long, thin abdomen. The second drawing shows one wing and a nymph.

Read the full guide

From above, then one wing and a nymph

Numbers 1 to 9 are on the whole dragonfly: the head, the compound eyes, the antennae, the thorax, the abdomen, the forewings and hindwings, the legs and the claspers at the tip of the abdomen. Numbers 10 to 12 are on one wing: the net of veins, the nodus half way along the front edge and the pterostigma near the tip. Number 13 is on a nymph, the young dragonfly that lives in water: its labium, also called the mask.

  • Hindwings are broader at the base than forewings. On a damselfly all four wings are narrow at the base.
  • The pterostigma and the nodus are both on the front edge of the wing: nodus in the middle, pterostigma near the tip.

Questions and answers

How many wings does a dragonfly have?

Four: a pair of forewings and a pair of hindwings, all clear and netted with veins. The hindwings are broader at the base than the forewings.

What is the spot on a dragonfly wing called?

The pterostigma, or stigma. It is a thickened cell on the front edge of each wing, near the tip.

How many legs does a dragonfly have?

Six, like every insect. They are spiny, and a dragonfly holds them like a basket to catch other insects in the air.

What is a young dragonfly called?

A nymph, or naiad. It has no wings and lives in water. It catches prey with its labium, a hinged lower lip that shoots out from under the head.

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