DigiMonday - YANMAMON
(Adult Level/Data Attribute/Insect Type)
Following in Kabuterimon and Kuwagamon's freaky little footsteps in being an insect-themed Digimon with a horrifying vertebrate-style toothy maw, Yamnmamon also follows their example in being named after a specific real insect taxon; ヤンマ("yanma") translates roughly to "dragonfly", but is often used more specifically to refer to large dragonfly species while トンボ ("tonbo") refers to dragonflies generally. Its official description gets even more specific, explaining that it was born from data on a specific dragonfly species, the Jumbo Dragonfly:
(A Jumbo Dragonfly pictured in Inotani, Japan, image source here.)
Also known as the Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, the Jumbo Dragonfly (Anotogaster sieboldii) is a large species of dragonfly found across much of China, Japan and the Korean peninsula. Primarily inhabiting forest habitats, adults of this species are often found near slow-moving rivers with rocky substrates which provide them both with an environment in which to lay eggs (with young Jumbo Dragonflies being aquatic predators of smaller freshwater invertebrates) and a source of prey in the form of other water-associated insects such as mayflies. At up to 10cm long mature Jumbo Dragonflies are among eastern Asia's largest odonates (the collective term for dragonflies and their relatives the damselflies,) and their impressive size combined with their flashy yellow-and-black stipes and gorgeous green eyes has earned them some seriously cool common names in the languages of their native range; in Korean they're known as 장수잠자리 ("Jang-su-Jamjari", translating to chief, general or elder dragonfly) while in Japan they're called オニヤンマ ("oniyanma", literally meaning oni dragonfly.)
(Unfortunately, none of my entomological or etymological trivia can explain Yanmamon's apparent ability to spew lightning from its abdomen.)
Yanmamon debuted as an unobtainable enemy Digimon in the 1999 game Digimon World, and hasn't made much in the way of major appearances since. That being said, one did get something of a spotlight in the 2006 anime Digimon Savers/Digimon Data Squad as the recurring mount of choice for a Gottsumon who served as a major early antagonist. A highly respectable means of transportation, if you ask me.
