page_title: Uropetala carovei
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Uropetala carovei / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: A New Zealand giant dragonfly (Uropetala sp.) carved into the pare or lintel of a traditional Māori building.
context_page_description: Uropetala carovei is a giant dragonfly of the family Petaluridae, endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name, kapokapowai, means "water snatcher", alluding to the water dwelling juvenile stage, which, like all dragonflies, has a long extendable jaw that shoots out to snatch prey.
context_section_description: Its yellow and black body can be up to 86 mm long, with a wingspan up to 130 mm, making it the largest dragonfly in New Zealand. Males have petal-shaped hind appendages. Uropetala carovei can be distinguished from the similar Uropetala chiltoni, which occurs in the mountains of the South Island, by its all-black labrum (lacking the large pale blotch on Uropetala chiltoni), and its brown to yellowish leg femur segments (which are black in Uropetala chiltoni).
caption: Uropetala carved into the pare or lintel of a traditional Māori building.
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