Taxon Description (Wikipedia)
Odonata is an order of dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera). The word dragonfly is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata. The term
odonate has been coined to provide an English name for the group as a whole, but is not in common usage; most Odonata enthusiasts avoid ambiguity by using the term
true dragonfly, or simply Anisoptera, when referring to just the Anisoptera.
The largest living odonates are the giant endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. The prehistoric "giant dragonflies" belonged to the Protodonata (or Meganisoptera), closely related to true dragonflies but not part of the Odonata in the restricted sense.
full article at Wikipedia
