Aquatic insects of the order Odonata (and sometimes particularly of the suborder Anisoptera, whose wings are outspread laterally from the body when at rest); larvae have provided numerous important nymph patterns.

Any of the conspicuous and elongated insect aerialists of the suborder Anisoptera (Order Odonata). Distinguished from their smaller cousins, the damselflies, by their larger, more robust form, as well as their habit of holding their wings outstretched when at rest, while the damselflies rest with their wings held above the body. Appreciated for both their beauty and their voracious appetite for mosquitos. Obodashkwanishi in the Ojibwe.