Bug FAQSmith's Dragonfly
Hemicordulia smithii · Order: Odonata · Family: Corduliidae
Also called: Ranger Dragonfly
It lives around many types of freshwater habitats in New Zealand and can even be found up to five kilometres from water in nearby grasslands, and it hunts small flying insects both as a larva and an adult.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It has large, round compound eyes that touch at the top of the head. Its abdomen is long, tubular, slightly flattened and usually dark brown or black.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 46 to 50 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occupies a wide range of freshwater sites such as wetlands, streams, swamps, peatlands, marshes, bogs, waterfalls and fens. Adults may also be found in grasslands up to five kilometres from the nearest water.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Both larvae and adults hunt small flying insects and are efficient predators in freshwater ecosystems.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species does not have a pupal stage; it develops directly from larva to adult. The full life cycle takes about four years to complete.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Smith’s dragonfly is now considered endemic to New Zealand.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles its close relative Hemicordulia grayi.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What habitats do they use?
They live in many freshwater environments and can also be found up to five kilometres away in grasslands.
Source: Wikipedia
How long does it take them to develop?
The life cycle from larva to adult takes about four years and has no pupal stage.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Corduliidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemicordulia_smithii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.