A very large insect (females have a 10 cm long abdomen), the giant damselfly has one of the biggest wingspans (17 cm) of any insect. Its wings are transparent except for blue-purple bands or a splash of color at the tips.

The males flutter in sunny forest clearings to attract females. The females fly high into the canopy and deposit their eggs in tank bromeliad pools. The eggs hatch into predatory larvae that eat other occupants of the pool, including bromeliad frog tadpoles.

With their large eyes, adult damselflies are efficient predators, capturing other flying insects in flight, snatching insects already trapped in spider webs, or catching the spider as well.