Pronunciation
Rather variable (Internet searches):
NAY-ud or NAY-ad (nā'-əd or nā'-ăd)
also given as NYE-ud, NYE-ad (nī'-əd or nī'-ăd)
The Century Dictionary (1) gives the pronunciation as NAY-yad (
nā'-yăd)
Explanation of Names
From Greek mythology, a
naias was a
water nymph. Wiktionary gives the detailed origin: from Ancient Greek Ναϊάς (
Nāïas), "naiad", from νάειν (
naein), "to flow".
Identification
naiad noun, plural
naiads or
naiades - the aquatic
nymphs of several orders of
hemimetabolous insects:
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
Naiads have gills and do not resemble the adult insect.
Photos showing examples of naiads of different groups...
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
Remarks
The term
naiad was first proposed by entomologist
John Henry Comstock in order to differentiate these forms from terrestrial nymphs of insect orders that are
paurometabolous (Gordh and Headrick).