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The insect family Macromiidae contains the dragonfly species known as cruisers or skimmers. They tend to fly over bodies of water (and roads) straight down the middle. They are similar to Aeshnidae in size, but the eyes are green and just barely meet at the top of the head.
| Macromiidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Macromia illinoiensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Superfamily: | Libelluloidea |
| Family: | Macromiidae Needham, 1903[1] |
| Genera | |
|
Didymops Rambur, 1842 | |
Macromiidae, or Macromiinae, has been traditionally considered as a subfamily of Corduliidae (Kirby, 1890). It contains four genera and 125 species worldwide.
Females of this family lack an ovipositor at the end of the abdomen and lay their eggs by dipping the abdomen in the water as they fly over. Ovipositing is usually done without a male.
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The naiads hatch after two weeks and are born with three gills for respiration (Lung 2001).
Naiads are found in rivers, streams, and lakes where there is water movement. They crawl in debris at the water's bottom and wait for prey. They mostly eat mosquito larvae, freshwater shrimp, fish and tadpoles (Young 1955).[2]
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