News Animals

Climate change may rob male dragonfly wings of their dark spots

Shadowy areas are a heat-absorbing liability, but losing them may mess with the insects’ mating

Twelve-spotted skimmer dragonfly on branch

Male dragonflies — like this twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) — that have dark blotches on their wings may lose those spots in a warming world.

D. Gordon E. Robertson/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

By Jake Buehler

- More than 2 years ago

Many dragonflies zip through the air with their translucent wings painted in an array of dark spots and bands.