Dragonfly Exuvia
The shed shells you see before you are not insects, but recently they did in fact house insects that dwelled in the water. As insects grow larger and progress further along their metamorphosis, they need to shed their smaller exoskeletons and harden their new skin so they can continue to grow. These shed skins are called “exuvia”, and this blog have shown them before with a certain family of large terrestrial insect: the Cicada! It’s quite a difference between Cicada nymphs and their adult forms, so imagine the jump between a Dragonfly nymph to adult! When the nymphs are full-sized after years of thriving and hunting in the lake, they crawl onto land and anchor themselves, push themselves out of their shell, unfold their wings, and enjoy a new world in their adult form! Looking at the shed shell, there’s quite a number of similarities between the young and the adult (the eyes, mandibles and legs), but there are many differences to appreciate, likely the result of adaptations needed to live effective underwater. What really draws me to these shells are the sheer size of them, and the spikes/spines that dot and line the back of the abdomen. Something like this likely grew into something large and fearsome. The possibilities that come to my mind based on the shell are Darners first and foremost (due to the presence of the spikes), and also Clubtails which also grow to a large size in adulthood. If you find a Dragonfly adult emerging into the world, I suggest you take all the time you can to document the event. I hope to have that luck in the future so that I can share it here!
Pictures were taken on June 25, 2022 in Muskoka with a Google Pixel 4.
