Photo of a Cardinal Meadowhawk dragonfly (Sympetrum illotum) during emergence
The whole metamorphosis from nymph to teneral (young adult) took approximately 1 hour. It takes two more weeks for this dragonfly to obtain its characteristic red color.
Size: 2848px × 3833px
Location: Estado de Mexico, Mexico
Photo credit: © Guillermo Lopez Barrera / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: cardinal, dragonfly, emergence, illotum, meadowhawk, metamorphosis, mexican, neotropical, nymph, sympetrum, vertical, young