**DRAGONFLIES OF ARANSAS / MATAGORDA ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE**

Welcome to the wonderful world of dragonflies! Dragonflies are as
colorful and entertaining as their names suggest: Vivid Dancer,
Sparkling Jewelwing, Furtive Forktail, Stygian Shadowdragon, Harlequin
Darner, Dragonhunter, Ebony Boghaunter. They offer the naturalist a wide
field for exploration, study and observation and an opportunity to
experience the intricate web of life of aquatic ecosystems firsthand.

While other species have come and gone, dragonflies have reigned over
Earth\'s swamps, ponds, lakes and rivers for perhaps two hundred million
years. Their survival in a wide range of habitats is testimony to the
versatility of their form and behavior.

Dragonflies can be found almost anywhere, their life cycle is
inextricably linked to aquatic environments and that is the best place
to seek them. They can be observed from spring to autumn in any wetland
location including rivers, lakes, ponds, woodland pools and streams,
bogs, swamps, marshes and even roadside ditches. Because dragonflies are
common in virtually all climes, you won\'t need to go very far from home
to begin your study. Choose a warm and sunny day, since most dragonflies
are sluggish and less abundant during cool or cloudy weather.

**DARNERS:**

Darners include our largest dragonflies, carrying abdomens long and
slender beyond the base, like darning needles. They are flyers, but
perch by hanging vertically. Most are brown or black, striped and
spotted with blue, green or yellow while the eyes are large and meet in
a seam on top of the head. In many species scars can be seen on the
females' eyes, showing where the males' epiproct held her during mating.
Females have an ovipositor with blades, used in most species to deposit
eggs in plant tissues up to the length of the abdomen below the
waterline. Each HW bears a rounded anal loop, while the maximum wing
pattern among our species is a small brown spot at the base of each
wing. Known life cycles are usually 1 year, up to 6 years in the far
north.

**Common Green Darner** *Anax junius* (Drury): Aeshnidae

![](media/image1.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2347222222222223in"}Male,
dorsal view  John C. Abbott\
This widespread species is found throughout North America, including all
50 U.S. states. It is certainly one of the most common and widespread
species in our area. The face is pale green with a distinct black spot
on the top of the frons bordered anteriorly by a blue semicircle. Anax
amazili has a triangular spot. The thorax is green with brown only
lightly represented on the lateral sutures. The wings are hyaline with a
yellow costa. The abdomen is mostly blue, with green on segment 1 in
males and greenish-brown throughout in females. The brown superior
caudal appendages in the male are long, about the length of segments
9-10 combined. Byers (1927b) described and illustrated the larva.

**Size:** Total length: 68-84 mm; abdomen: 46-60 mm; hindwing: 45-58 mm.

**Habitat:** Permanent and temporary ponds, lakes, bays and slow-flowing
streams with emergent vegetation.

**Comet Darner** *Anax longipes* (Hagen): Aeshnidae

![](media/image2.png){width="1.3590277777777777in" height="1.4in"}This
distinct darner has the typical green thorax of the genus, but the
abdomen is brilliant red. The face is yellow-green, but unlike in other
Anax species the top of the frons is unmarked. The legs are unusually
long and the femora are red except distally where they become black. The
wings are hyaline, however, occasionally they may be tinted and have a
greenish costa. The male abdomen is bright red beyond the basal green
segments. Females are similar, but with greenish-brown spots, and with
blue in juveniles on the middle and posterior segments.

**Size:** Total length: 75-87 mm; abdomen: 50-61 mm; hindwing: 46-56 mm.

**Habitat:** Primarily fishless temporary and semi-permanent grassy
ponds and pools.

**Regal Darner** *Coryphaeschna ingens* (Rambur): Aeshnidae

![](media/image3.png){width="1.7819444444444446in"
height="1.8118055555555554in"}This large coastal species, may be
confused with the equally large Epiaeschna heros. The latter however,
has a brown pterothorax with green stripes, while C. ingens is green
with brown stripes. The eyes are green in juvenile individuals and
males, but become deep blue in older females. The wings are hyaline,
except in females which change with age as described for the genus. The
abdomen is brown with narrow green markings. The basal segments are
swollen and there is no noticeable constriction following them. Needham
and Westfall (1955) presented larval keys to all but one North American
species.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 82-100 mm; abdomen: 64-78 mm; hindwing: 54-60
mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes and slow flowing streams with heavy vegetation.

**Swamp Darner** *Epiaeschna heros* (Fabricius): Aeshnidae

Male, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image4.png){width="1.95in" height="1.3069444444444445in"}This
species is equally large but more widespread than the similar
Coryphaeschna ingens. Epiaeschna heros has blue eyes and a brown thorax
with two green lateral stripes, while that of C. ingens is green striped
with brown. The only other brown and green darner it could be confused
with is Nasiaeschna pentacantha, but the latter is smaller and has a
fairly uninterrupted green longitudinal stripe laterally on the abdomen.
The wings are often heavily tinged, moreso laterally. The abdomen is
brown, long and nearly parallel sided posteriorly. The caudal appendages
are long in both sexes. The male appendages are complex and distinctly
hairy. The female appendages are flattened appearing petiolate. The
larva was described and illustrated by Cabot (1881).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 80-94 mm; abdomen: 63-72 mm; hindwing: 52-60 mm;

**Habitat:** Heavily wooded ponds, streams and ox-bows including
ephemeral pools and ponds.

**CUBTAILS**

Very distinctive, most species with S7-S9 enlarged and clublike, usually
seen perching horizontally and on flat surfaces. Males usually have a
larger club than females and commonly raise and display it like a flag.
Clubtails generally have a camouflage pattern, usually brown or black
marked with yellow in juveniles, the yellow becoming green after a few
days. They have separated eyes as in the side of S8 instead of an
ovipositor with blades. Males have a forked epiproct, while females of
some species have hornlike spines on the top or back of the head. None
of our species has bright red markings, blue markings are rare
(Blue-Faced Ringtail), and the maximum wing marking is a small brown
spot at each wing base (some Sanddragons). Clubtails do not soar, feed
in swarms, or lay eggs in tandem. Many species are uncommon, wary, have
short flight seasons or restricted ranges, perch mostly in trees, or all
of the above. These factors, combined with the similarity of many
species, make Clubtails a difficult challenge to locate and identify in
the field. Our species perch to mate for 10 minutes or more, and in some
(most notably the Dragon hunter), the male abdominal appendages punch
holes in the female head, damage that is unexplained.

Some other dragonflies have clubbed abdomens, notably some male
Cruisers, male Clubskimmers, and female Baskettails carrying egg balls.
Pondhawks commonly perch like Clubtails, but have the eyes in contact on
top of the head.

Most Clubtails breed in flowing water, where they are quite susceptible
to pollution, particularly because their (known) life cycles are 2-plus
years.

**Sulphur-tipped Clubtail** *Gomphus militaris* Hagen in Sélys:
Gomphidae

![](media/image5.png){width="1.8in" height="1.4159722222222222in"}Male
doro-lateral view

This is the most widespread Gomphus in our region, although it is
conspicuously absent in both Arkansas and Louisiana. It is marked with
the most yellow and is the brightest colored of our species. The face is
yellow with no evidence of dark stripes. Females have a pair of minute
spines present on the vertex. The front of the thorax is distinctly
yellower than the darker sides. The brown middorsal stripe is narrow and
widens slightly toward the collar. The antehumeral stripe is well
separated from the humeral stripe and is free at its upper end. The pale
stripe between them is 1/2-2/3 their width at their widest. The humeral
stripe narrows at its lower end. The midlateral stripe is thin and
always present, but generally interrupted above the spiracle. The third
lateral stripe is also thin, but well-developed. The legs have more
yellow on them than do those in other species. The otherwise black
femora and tibiae both have yellow stripes on their outer surfaces. The
black abdomen is conspicuously narrowed medially. The pale yellow
middorsal stripe is wide and nearly continuous on the middle segments.
Segments 7-9 are expanded laterally, less so in females and segments
8-10 are diffusely yellow with the caudal appendages brownish-yellow.
Males are distinctive because of an enlarged, distinctly warty peduncle.
Bird (1934) described and illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 47-54 mm; abdomen: 34-41 mm; hindwing: 28-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, streams and creeks with muddy bottoms.

**Cobra Clubtail** *Gomphus vastus* Walsh: Gomphidae

Male, dorso-lateral view

![](media/image6.png){width="2.05in" height="1.25in"}This eastern
species is widespread throughout the Austroriparian biotic province,
except in Louisiana. It is most similar to the paler G. modestus. The
pale green face is broadly striped with black and the humeral and
middorsal thoracic stripes are generally confluent at their upper ends,
leaving the antehumeral stripe free at its upper end. The thorax is
yellowish-green with a thin midlateral stripe often interrupted above
the spiracle. The third lateral stripe may be present, but it is usually
wanting. The abdomen is black except for a thin interrupted pale yellow
middorsal stripe and laterally on the basal segments. Segments 7-9 are
broadly expanded with only a small basal yellow spot laterally on 8 and
a broad irregular lateral stripe on 9. The larva was first described and
illustrated by Cabot (1872) and more recently was compared to G.
modestus by Westfall (1974).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 46-57 mm; abdomen: 33-42 mm; hindwing: 27-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Medium-sized rivers or lakes with areas of alternating sand
and gravel.\
\
**Plains Clubtail\
***Gomphus externus* Hagen in Sélys: Gomphidae

![](media/image7.png){width="1.8569444444444445in"
height="1.9048611111111111in"}Female, lateral view

This is a central U.S. species widely distributed throughout our area,
but not as yet reported from Louisiana. It is a medium-sized robust
yellowish species most similar to G. gonzalezi, but generally larger and
darker with wider brown thoracic stripes and erect yellow spines at each
end of the postocellar ridge in the female. The face is pale yellowish
and devoid of any dark marks. The thorax is pale yellowish-green and the
dark brown middorsal stripe is widened slightly, to appear nearly
parallel. It is thinly divided by the pale middorsal carina. The
antehumeral stripe is narrowly confluent with the humeral stripe at its
upper end. There is a pale yellowish stripe between the two, no more
than 1/2 their width. The mid- and third lateral stripes are present and
well-developed, only narrowly confluent at their lower ends. A paler
yellow stripe separates the two, but this may become obscured in older
individuals. The legs are dark brown or black with a yellow stripe on
the outer surface of the tibiae. The wings are hyaline with a brown
pterostigma. The abdomen is black with interrupted pale middorsal and
lateral stripes. Segments 7-9 are widely expanded with a middorsal
stripe appearing as spearheads on segments 7-8. In females, segment 8
generally has only a pale basal spot. Segment 9 has a broad yellow
stripe dorsally and segment 10 is yellow. The superior caudal appendages
of the male are parallel, not divergent, when viewed dorsally.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 52-60 mm; abdomen: 36-43 mm; hindwing: 30-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Large muddy bottomed rivers and streams with moderate flow.

**Russet-tipped Clubtail** *Stylurus plagiatus* (Sélys): Gomphidae

![](media/image8.png){width="1.9in" height="1.3555555555555556in"}Male,
lateral view

This is the most widespread of our three Stylurus species. It is darker
than S. laurae, has widely separated humeral and antehumeral stripes,
and the posterior 1/2 of the vertex is green, not black. The eyes are
brilliant blue in mature adults. The brown middorsal stripe on this dark
green species widens anteriorly, becoming confluent at both ends with
the antehumeral stripe. The dark humeral and antehumeral stripes are
widely separated by an olivaceous green stripe as stated above. The
midlateral stripe is thin, 1/2 the width of the humeral stripe and
somewhat sinuate or interrupted at its upper end. The third lateral
stripe is less well developed and often interrupted in its lower 1/2.
The wings are hyaline, but may become amber in older females. The legs
are, as in S. laurae, pale basally becoming black on the tibiae and
tarsi. The pale abdominal middorsal stripe is nearly obsolete on the
tawny brown abdomen. Segments 7-10 are expanded laterally and are
orange-brown, as are the caudal appendages. Walker (1928) and Byers
(1930) described and illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 53-66 mm; abdomen: 38-50 mm; hindwing: 20-41 mm.

**Habitat:** Weedy rivers, streams and lakes with moderate to little
current.\
\
**Flag-tailed Spinyleg** *Dromogomphus spoliatus* (Hagen in Sélys):
Gomphidae

Male, lateral view

![](media/image9.png){width="1.8in" height="1.2416666666666667in"}This
species is lighter in color than the preceding, D. spinosus, and is more
similar to D. armatus, with distinct dark antehumeral and humeral
stripes. The face is yellow and never marked with a black cross-stripe.
The vertex is dark brown and females lack spines. The thorax is
yellowish-green. The middorsal thoracic stripe parallels the anterior
collar, so that it nearly contacts the antehumeral stripe at its lower
end. The dark antehumeral and humeral stripes are separated by a pale
yellowish-green stripe of equal or greater width and the midlateral
stripe is more developed than in D. spinosus, but not reaching far
beyond the spiracle. The third lateral stripe is hardly wider than the
suture itself. The wings are hyaline and the costa is yellow. The
abdomen is brownish-green with an interrupted dark dorsolateral stripe
on segments 3-6. Segments 7-9 are expanded greatly in males, moreso than
in the other two species, and are orange-brown.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 60-61 mm; abdomen: 43-46 mm; hindwing: 35-38
mm.\
\
**Habitat:** Small, clear sandy or mud bottomed streams with a regular
current.\
\
**Stillwater Clubtail** *Arigomphus lentulus* (Needham): Gomphidae

![](media/image10.png){width="1.7in" height="1.229861111111111in"}Male,
lateral view

This is a smaller pale greenish-gray species with the thorax faintly
marked in a similar fashion to that of A. submedianus The humeral and
antehumeral stripes are generally subequal, however, in A. lentulus. The
middorsal thoracic stripe is completely divided by the pale carina and
may be very faint. The brownish humeral and antehumeral stripes are
usually subequal in width, as stated above, but with the former
generally moredeveloped and always separated from the latter by a thin
stripe of greenish-yellow. The lateral thoracic stripes are wanting,
only visible at their ends. The abdomen is rufous-brown with a pale
middorsal stripe hardly visible. Segments 7 and 8 are black dorsally and
9 is pale brown. Segment 10 and the caudal appendages are yellowish.

**Size:** Total length: 48-57 mm; abdomen: 34-41 mm; hindwing: 30-37 mm.

**Habitat:** Semi-permanent and artificial ponds, lakes and slow-areas
of streams with muddy bottoms.

**Common Sanddragon** *Progomphus obscurus* (Rambur): Gomphidae

Male, dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image11.png){width="1.9in" height="1.1777777777777778in"}This
species is much more widely distributed throughout its range, than the
former. It is slightly smaller with a complete midlateral thoracic
stripe and a strong patch of brown basally in each wing. The thorax is
pale yellow with the dark middorsal stripe widening anteriorly toward
the collar and isolated from the antehumeral stripe at its upper end.
The humeral and antehumeral stripes are normally confluent at both ends
with a thin pale stripe between them. The mid- and third lateral stripes
are both present and well developed. The legs are short and darker than
in P. borealis. The basal brown spot in each wing extends out generally
to the first antenodal crossvein. They can be distinguished from E.
designatus, in this respect, by the distinctly yellow superior and black
inferior caudal appendages in the male and the general maculation of the
abdomen, which is similar to that of P. borealis. Needham (1941)
described and illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 51-55 mm; abdomen: 39-43 mm; hindwing: 31-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Shallow streams and lakes with a sandy bottoms.\
\
**Eastern Ringtail** *Erpetogomphus designatus* Hagen in Sélys:
Gomphidae

![](media/image12.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2541666666666667in"}Male,
dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

This is the most widely distributed of our species. It can be
distinguished from other species by a combination of characters
including diffuse yellow or brown in the quadrangles of all wings, a
dark brown pterostigma and a medially swollen occiput in both sexes. The
face of this yellowish-green species is pale green and the vertex is
dark brown. The green occiput is swollen medially in both species. The
middorsal thoracic stripe widens anteriorly toward the collar. The brown
antehumeral stripe tapers distally and is free at both ends. The brown
humeral stripe is complete and well-developed, but not extending
considerably posteroventrally. The midlateral stripe is weakly developed
and interrupted, often wanting at its upper end. The third lateral
stripe is narrow, but complete. The femora are pale green becoming
darker distally. The tibiae are dark brown armed with black spines. The
wings are hyaline with the above-mentioned distinctive basal wash of
yellow. The abdomen is pale green marked with reddish-brown rings and an
interrupted dorsolateral stripe on segments 3-6. The remaining segments
in males are light yellowish-brown and in females segments 7-8 are
darker dorsally. The larva was first described and illustrated by Cabot
(1872).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 49-55 mm; abdomen: 34-37 mm; hindwing: 28-32 mm.

**Habitat:** Clear streams and rivers of deciduous forests with moderate
current.\
\
**Narrow-striped Forceptail** *Aphylla protracta* (Hagen in Sélys):
Gomphidae

Greg Lasley

![](media/image13.png){width="2.05in" height="1.179861111111111in"}This
mexican species is less common than A. angustifolia and has a wider
lateral margin on abdominal segment 8. Other characters to separate
these species are given under the description of A. angustifolia. The
face is greenish-yellow and the thorax is very similar to that of A.
angustifolia. The dark third lateral thoracic stripe is generally as
broad as the humeral and midlateral stripes. The wings are hyaline and
typical of the genus. Segment 10 of the long, slender abdomen is deeply
notched dorsally. The male superior caudal appendages lack an
overlapping ridge on their mesal margin dorsoapically.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 64-66 mm; abdomen: 42-50 mm: hindwing: 35-49 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds and pools of intermittent streams with muddy
bottoms.

**Broad-striped Forceptail** *Aphylla angustifolia* Garrison: Gomphidae

Female, Lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image14.png){width="1.8in" height="1.2in"}This species occurs
within the southern limits of this region may be easily confused with A.
protracta. The thoracic stripes of the later are typically all about the
same width. In A. angustifolia, the dark third lateral stripe is
narrower and the lateral expanse of abdominal segment 8 is not as wide.
The thorax is greenish-yellow with dark brown stripes. The middorsal
stripes are triangular. The humeral and antehumeral stripes are equally
broad. The midlateral thoracic stripe is broader than the humeral and
third lateral stripes. The wings are hyaline with a relatively long
brown pterostigma. The abdomen is long, slender and brown marked with
yellowish stripes. Segment 8 is widely expanded laterally, more so in
males than females. The apical mesal margin of the male superior caudal
appendages form a ridge overlapping the appendage dorsally. The
posterior margin of segment 10 is narrowly emarginate. The larva was
first briefly described from an exuviae collected from Williams Lake in
Matagorda County, Texas, by Calvert (1914) and then by Needham (1940).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 62-68 mm; abdomen: 47-50 mm; hindwing: 36-40 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds and pools of intermittent streams with muddy
bottoms.\
\
CRUISERS

Medium-to large-size dragonflies, brown or black with yellow markings,
that cruise long distances looking for mates and prey on stiff narrow
wings built for sustained speed. A yellow belt around the thorax forms a
single stripe on each side, and the middle abdominal segments each have
only one spot or one pair of spots. The eyes, brilliant green in several
species, are in contact on top of the head, and each bears a posterior
lateral bump. The face is dark with 2 yellow cross-stripes, while the HW
exhibit a rounded anal loop. The legs are very long and bear forked
claws. The abdomen is clubbed in males, except for the Royal River
Cruiser, but cylindrical in females. Males have ventral rubbery keels on
the lower leg of the fore-and hind legs, and of variable length
according to the species on the middle leg. Females lack ovipositors,
and lay their green eggs by touching the tip of the abdomen to the water
surface at high speed, usually near a high or overhanging bank. The
female subgenital plate is short and V-notched.

**Illinois River Cruiser** *Macromia illinoiensis* (Sélys): Macromiidae

![](media/image15.png){width="1.9in" height="1.3680555555555556in"}Male,
dorsal view

This is perhaps our most widespread and frequently encountered Macromia
species. It would only be confused in our region with M. alleghaniensis,
but the yellow on abdominal segment 7 does not completely encircle that
segment. The top of the frons is dark with two dorsal and two lateral
pale spots. The vertex is wholly black. The antehumeral stripes on the
dark thorax extend up 1/3 - 1/2 the distance of the front of the thorax.
The wings are hyaline, with at most a hint of brown basally in females.
The legs are black and long. There is an uninterrupted yellow ring on
abdominal segment 2. Segments 3-6 each have a dorsal spot that may be
thinly interrupted. Segments 7-8 each have a pale ring interrupted
ventrolaterally, broadly so on 7. Cabot (1890) first described the
larva. More recently Louton (1982) and Donnelly and Tennessen (1994)
have illustrated it.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 65-79 mm; abdomen: 47-56 mm; hindwing: 40-53 mm.

**Habitat:** Moderate to large rivers and streams.

**Prince Baskettail** *Epitheca princeps* (Hagen): Corduliidae

Male, dorso-lateral view

![](media/image16.png){width="1.8in" height="1.5958333333333334in"}This
is our most widespread and probably easiest corduliid to recognize. It
is the only Epitheca with brown wing tips. It may be confused with L.
pulchella, which has wings similarly patterned, but there are no yellow
lateral thoracic stripes in E. princeps. The thorax and abdomen are
brown, the latter with an obscured row of pale spots on the sides. The
wings are variably marked with brown basally, at the nodus and apically.
The larva was described and illustrated by Cabot (1890).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 58-68 mm; abdomen: 42-49 mm; hindwing: 38-43 mm.

**Habitat:** Quiet reaches of streams, rivers, ponds and lakes.

**Stripe-winged Baskettail** *Epitheca costalis* (Sélys): Corduliidae

Male, Dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image17.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2541666666666667in"}This
is a brown dragonfly, typical of the subgenus, with a hairy thorax and a
spot of yellow on the side. The abdomen has a lateral yellow stripe. The
wings are marked with a basal spot of brown, or in some females there
may be a brown stripe across the front edge of the wings. Males have a
slender abdomen and long superior caudal appendages (greater than 3.4
mm). These appendages are similar to those of E. cynosura, but lack a
ventral keel. The abdomen of the male is often strongly constricted
behind segment 3. The female caudal appendages are long, as long as
segments 9 and 10 together. Tennessen (1977) described the larva.

**Size:** Total length: 42-45 mm; abdomen: 28-32 mm; hindwing: 25-28 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds and slow reaches of streams and rivers.

# SKIMMERS

Skimmers are by far the most common dragonflies at still waters, and
relatively few breed in running water. They are the showiest
dragonflies, exhibiting a full spectrum of colors, which, however, are
seldom metallic. Many species have a conspicuous wing pattern. Lacking
in other North American dragonfly families, but found in some of the
Skimmers, are: abdomen flattened from the base; abdomen of a solid
color, including red or white; stigmas red, orange, green, or white;
white wing spots; dark wing bands; orange or red wing veins; and male
hover-guarding. Rare in other families, but more common in Skimmers,
are: very small size' pruinosity; brown wing spots; striped abdomen; and
complete mating in midair.

Nearly all Skimmers possess a characteristic foot-shaped anal loop,
complete with knee, heel, and toe. This loop helps support the base of
the HW, and is particularly large in the widened wings of gliding
species. Males lack auricles on S2, as well as the correlated angle at
the HW base, so that the shape of the HW is similar in males and
females. As in most dragonflies, the eyes of Skimmers are in contact on
top of the head, but the posterior bump on each eye present in Emeralds
has been lost. In about 10% of our skimmers, the female subgenital plate
is developed into a spoutlike ovipositor (Scarlet Skimmer, Filigree
Skimmer, 4 Pondhawks, and 4 Dragonlets). In about 25% of our Skimmers,
the females have lateral flanges on S8 used to splash eggs onto the bank
(Roseate Skimmer, Narrow-Winged Skimmer, and 22 King Skimmers).

Most Skimmers are perchers that cling horizontally to tips of stems or
obliquely on sides of stems. Other Skimmers are gliders with widened HW
that stay aloft for hours at a time. Many Skimmers lay eggs in tandem,
but our only other dragonfly that does this is the Common Green Darner.

Known life cycles is usually 1 year, but vary from 1/3 year in some
tropical species to 3 years in some northern species.

**Widow Skimmer** *Libellula luctuosa* Burmeister: Libellulidae

Male, Dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image18.png){width="2.0in" height="1.3534722222222222in"}This
is certainly a widespread and easily recognized dragonfly. It has large
black wing bands in both sexes extending from the base out to the nodus.
The face is pale yellow or brown in juveniles and females, but darkens,
to black along with top of the head in mature males. The pterothorax is
dark brown with a pale yellow middorsal stripe that extends onto the
prothorax. This area becomes an obscure brown color in females and black
in mature males, ultimately turning powder blue. The sides are pale
yellow with a somewhat ill-defined dark stripe on the third lateral
suture. This area becomes obscured in females and turns a dark brassy
brown in older males. The wings are distinctly marked as above, with
occasional darkening of the wing tips, especially in females and more
western-distributed individuals Mature males develop a white area beyond
the basal dark stripe that extends to the wing apex. The legs are black.
The abdomen is only moderately depressed and tapers rearward. It is pale
yellow with broad black middorsal and lateral stripes. The yellow is
interrupted only by the black carinae. Segment 8 in females is but
slightly expanded laterally. The caudal appendages are black. The color
of the abdomen darkens in both sexes and becomes a powder pruinose blue
in males.

**Size:** Total length: 38-50 mm; abdomen: 24-32 mm; hindwing: 33-41 mm.

**Habitat:** Still bodies of water, including marshy ponds, lakes and
borrow pits.

**Common Whitetail** *Libellula lydia* Drury: Libellulidae

Female, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image19.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2541666666666667in"}This
is another ubiquitous dragonfly, commonly seen at almost any standing
body of water during the summer. It is found throughout most of the U.S.
and southern Canada. It is a moderate-sized stout species that displays
a distinct dimorphism between the sexes. The male has large broad brown
or black bands in the outer portion of each wing, while the female\'s
wings are less maculated, with three spots, basally, at the nodus and
apically, appearing as a smaller version of L. pulchella. The face is
yellowish-brown initially, but becomes noticeably darker in both sexes.
The top of the head is a deep brown. The robust thorax is brown,
unmarked in the front and with two yellowish lateral stripes giving way
to white at their upper ends. The wings in the male are as above with a
small white spot below the basal dark area in the hindwing. The legs are
brown. The abdomen is quite wide and appears triangular in cross-section
as it tapers apically in males. In females the abdomen is strongly
depressed. In both sexes the abdomen is brown with an interrupted white
line laterally, appearing as individual stripes. In mature males the
thorax becomes darker and the lateral stripes obscured. The most
noticeable change, however, is the total envelopment of the male abdomen
by a white pruinescence. Needham (1901) originally described the larva
and Levine (1957) later studied and described it in further detail.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 38-48 mm; abdomen: 23-29 mm; hindwing: 29-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Nearly any pool, pond, lake or quiet stream.\
\
**Twelve-spotted Skimmer** *Libellula pulchella* Drury: Libellulidae

![](media/image20.png){width="1.8in" height="1.35625in"}Male, dorsal
view

This is a large, handsome, brown skimmer found in all 48 contiguous
United States. Its distinct wing pattern of dark brown or black wing
spots, basally, at the nodus and at the wing tips, will readily
distinguish it from most dragonflies in our region. Individuals of the
similar L. forensis lack dark wing tips. Female L. lydia are very
similar, but they are smaller and have pale legs. The face of L.
pulchella is dull yellowish-brown. The thorax is brown and lacks a
middorsal stripe. Each side has a pair of pale yellowish-stripes. The
wings are spotted with dark brown or black, as mentioned above. Mature
males develop two white spots in each forewing and three in each
hindwing, giving them their traditional common name \"ten spot.\" It has
more recently been given the name \"twelve spot\" to represent the more
conspicuous brown spots of each wing. The legs are brown at their
extreme bases and black beyond for the remainder of their length. The
abdomen is brown with a broad pale yellow uninterrupted stripe on each
side and a narrower one along the middorsal carina. The caudal
appendages are brown, darkening with age. Females have a slight lateral
expansion of abdominal segment 8. Musser (1962) described and
illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 51-58 mm; abdomen: 32-36 mm; hindwing: 42-48 mm.

**Habitat:** Shallow ponds, lakes, marshes and slow streams.

**Golden-winged Skimmer** *Libellula auripennis* Burmeister:
Libellulidae

![](media/image21.png){width="2.0in"
height="1.3069444444444445in"}Female, dorsal view John C. Abbott

This is a relatively large, beautiful, red species found throughout the
eastern portions of our area. It is very similar to the coastal species
L. needhami, but it has red veins throughout, whereas L. needhami has
black veins over most of its wings. The hind tibiae of L. auripennis are
reddish-brown, never bicolored. Teneral individuals of Libellula flavida
are also easily confused, but the costa is generally dark out at least
to the nodus, the front 1/4 to 1/5 of all wings is heavily tinged with
amber or yellow and the thorax is more robust and has a prominent pale
middorsal stripe. The face is brown in juvenile and female L.
auripennis, becoming bright red in older males. The thorax is brown with
2 diffuse pale stripes laterally. The wings have a yellow pterostigma
and the abdomen is yellow with a black middorsal stripe. In mature males
the front of the thorax becomes rusty red, and the pterostigma and
abdomen become bright red. The wing veins are reddish-orange
throughout.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 45-58 mm; abdomen: 32-40 mm; hindwing: 35-45 mm

**Habitat:** Ponds, pools, ditches, lakes and occasionally slow flowing
streams.

**Roseate Skimmer** *Orthemis ferruginea* (Fabricius): Libellulidae

Male, dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image22.png){width="1.8in" height="1.1881944444444446in"}This
handsome and widespread, common species is found throughout all parts of
our area. It is brown initially in both sexes with pale stripes on the
thorax forming an irregular \"HII\" pattern. The abdomen is uniform
brown in juveniles. Mature adults develop a pale bluish thorax and a
bright pinkish or purple abdomen. The wings are clear with orangish
veins. The lateral flanges of abdominal segment 8 in females are
generally pale. Other characteristics and specific differences between
O. ferruginea and O. discolor are given under the description of the
latter.

**Size:** Total length: 46-55 mm; abdomen: 33-39 mm; hindwing: 35-44 mm.

**Habitat:** Temporary and permanent ponds, lakes, ditches and slow
streams.

**Blue-faced Meadowhawk** *Sympetrum ambiguum* (Rambur): Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view J. Laswell

![](media/image23.png){width="1.8in" height="1.3020833333333333in"}This
is our only predominantly eastern distributed species. Its face is white
in front and bluish above. The thorax is grayish-brown or olivaceous
with the lateral sutures outlined by thin brown stripes. The wings are
clear, with only a small spot of flavescence at the extreme base of each
wing tip. The costa is yellow and the pterostigma is brown with yellow
around its outer edges. The legs are pale brown but darken at the
joints. The abdomen is brown with diffuse black rings apically around
segments 4-9, in juveniles and females. The abdomen turns red in mature
males. Wright (1946d) described and illustrated the larva. This upper
part of the face is bluish-green, while the lower part is white. The
face along with the pale legs and male genitalia make this species
distinct in our region.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 31-38 mm; abdomen: 22-25 mm; hindwing: 26-28 mm.

**Habitat:** Partially shaded temporary and permanent ponds, pools,
marshes, swamps and sloughs.

**Variegated Meadowhawk** *Sympetrum corruptum* (Hagen): Libellulidae

![](media/image24.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1388888888888888in"}Male,
lateral view John C. Abbott

This is certainly our most widespread Sympetrum species. It is largely
tan or gray. The face is pale or tan in juveniles and females but
becomes red in mature males. The thorax has two oblique lateral white
stripes, each with a distinct round yellow spot at the lower end. The
yellow always remains visible, but the white becomes obscured in mature
males. The wings are clear with yellow veins in the costal and subcostal
areas and have a tan pterostigma, bordered by yellow and red. The legs
are dark brown except on their outer surfaces. The abdomen is grayish
with a yellowish orange middorsal stripe and orange rings apically on
segments 3-7. There is a row of white spots laterally on segments 2-8
and segment 8 and 9 each have a large black spot dorsally. The orange
color of the abdomen turns red in older males. Needham (1901) and more
recently Musser (1962) have described and illustrated the larva.
Cannings (1982) described differences between the larva of this species
and others in the Tarnetrum group.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 33-43 mm; abdomen: 23-29 mm; hindwing: 27-33 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds and slow streams, preferably with sandy or cobble
bottoms, but occasionally including brackish waters.\
\
**Band-winged Dragonlet** *Erythrodiplax umbrata* (Linnaeus):
Libellulidae

![](media/image25.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2541666666666667in"}Male,
dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

This is a larger species in the genus, second only to the similar E.
funerea. Diagnostic differences are given under that species. Other
similar species include Pseudoleon superbus, which has wings with much
heavier maculation and Erythemis vesiculosa, which may be confused with
teneral and female individuals with unmarked wings. Erythemis
vesiculosa, however, is a bright green species with the abdomen well
marked with black. The face and thorax of E. umbrata are olivaceous or
greenish-brown in teneral males and most commonly in females. In these
females the wings are clear with only a wash of amber or flavescence
through the wing. Males become black with age, as does the uncommon
heterochromatic form of the female. Both have a large dark spot that
becomes a broad black band in the outer half of each wing. Calvert
(1928) described the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 38-47 mm; abdomen: 23-34 mm; hindwing: 25-34 mm.

**Habitat:** Permanent and temporary marshy ponds, pools and lakes.\
\
**Little Blue Dragonlet** *Erythrodiplax minuscula* (Rambur):
Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image26.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1166666666666667in"}This
is a widespread Erythrodiplax species. It is a small species, very
similar to its southwestern counterparts, E. connata and E. fusca, once
considered a subspecies of the former. It can generally be readily
distinguished in the field from either of these by its eastern
distribution and the distinctive powder blue pruinose appearance of
older individuals. Other specific differences are given under each of
the previous two species. Teneral and female individuals are
greenish-brown. The front of the thorax is devoid of stripes and darker
than the sides. The wings are hyaline or with only a small basal spot in
the hindwing. There is a black middorsal and a pair of interrupted
lateral stripes on the abdomen. Mature individuals develop a powder blue
pruinose appearance that envelopes the body from the thorax posteriorly
and terminal abdominal segments anteriorly. Abdominal segments 7-10
become wholly black. The caudal appendages are pale and the female has a
short but distinct, triangular, spout-like ovipositor, below segment 9.
Needham (1904) described and illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 22-27 mm; abdomen: 14-17 mm; hindwing: 15-21 mm.

**Habitat:** Marshy ponds, pools, lakes and slow moving streams.\
\
**Seaside Dragonlet** *Erythrodiplax berenice* (Drury): Libellulidae

![](media/image27.png){width="1.85in"
height="1.3194444444444444in"}Male, dorso-lateral view

This is a small, common, distinctly coastal species. It is similar to
Pachydiplax longipennis, which has an unmarked face and basal wing
markings. Juveniles and females have a pale face with broad black
stripes. The thorax is pale yellowish, heavily striped with black in the
front and sides. These dark stripes are broadly confluent at their lower
ends. The face and thorax quickly become entirely dark blue or black in
males and nearly so in females. The top of the frons becomes metallic
blue. The wings are clear, although there may be hints of amber basally
and at the nodus in females. The legs are black. The abdomen is largely
black with broad orange or yellow spots dorsally on segments 1-7. These
spots quickly become obscured in males and more slowly in females.
Females are quite variable during this transition time, in some
individuals the thorax becomes black before the abdomen. In others the
abdomen turns black before the thorax and there may or may not be an
amber spot near the nodus in each wing. The female has a triangular
shaped, scooped-out, ovipositor projecting ventrally from segment 9.
Calvert (1904) described the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 28-35 mm; abdomen: 15-23 mm; hindwing: 18-26 mm.

**Habitat:** Salt marshes, estuaries, bays and occasionally inland lakes
high in salinity.\
\
**Eastern Amberwing** *Perithemis tenera* (Say): Libellulidae

![](media/image28.png){width="1.7243055555555555in" height="2.0in"}Male,
dorso-lateral view

This species is very similar to P. domitia, but it is much more
widespread throughout the U.S. and our area. It is a small brown
species. Perithemis tenera, males have orange or amber wings that
usually develop a brown spot above the triangles in our area. Females
have variously shaped brown spots or stripes through the amber areas.
Needham (1901) described and illustrated the larva. Differences between
this species and P. domitia are given under that species.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 19-25 mm; abdomen: 12-16 mm; hindwing: 16-21 mm.

**Habitat:** Open sloughs, ponds, pools, roadside ditches and other
still waters.\
**Blue Dasher** *Pachydiplax longipennis* (Burmeister): Libellulidae

Male, lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image29.png){width="1.8in" height="1.19375in"}This rather
distinctive species is found throughout our area. It has a white face,
and the top of the frons is metallic blue in mature individuals of both
sexes. The eyes are brilliant blue or green in males and reddish-brown
in females. The front of the thorax is brown with a thin pale carina
medially and a wider pale stripe on either side. The sides are pale
green with three full length brown stripes. The wings are typically
clear but may be flavescent and with a dark brown stripe on either side
of the midbasal space in males. The legs are black and heavily armed.
The abdomen is black with a pair of pale yellow stripes dorsally that
are interrupted on segments 3-8 to appear as dashes. Segment 9 and the
caudal appendages are black, while 10 is pale. The abdomen is
considerably shorter in females. Older males develop a pale pruinose
blue color dorsally and more slowly laterally on the thorax and over the
entire abdomen. Females become pruinose, but much more slowly than
males. The larva was described by Needham (1901) and most recently
illustrated by Musser (1962). This species is similar to mature males of
Erythemis simplicicollis, which have an unmarked green or blue thorax.
Females of Erythrodiplax berenice have a prominent ventrally projecting
ovipositor. Species of Micrathyria are similar and characters are given
under those species to help separate them.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 28-45 mm; abdomen: 23-35 mm; hindwing: 30-43 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, marshes, ditches, slow streams and other
quiet bodies of water.

**Eastern Pondhawk** *Erythemis simplicicollis* (Say): Libellulidae

Male feeding on sulfur butterfly, lateral view ©John C. Abbott

![](media/image30.png){width="1.9in" height="1.2472222222222222in"}

This is one of the most widely distributed species in our region and in
all of the eastern U.S. It is very similar to the darker, western E.
collocata, with differences emphasized under that species. Other species
for which it may be confused are also diagnosed under E. collocata. It
is bright green in teneral individuals and females, becoming powder blue
in older males, starting basally on the abdomen and on the front of the
thorax. The abdomen, before becoming obscured in older males, is black
with green dorsolateral spots on abdominal segments 4-6 and yellow or
pale superior caudal appendages. Females have the usual ventrally
projecting spout-like ovipositor below segment 9. The last instar has
been described by various authors (Needham 1901; Calvert 1927; Garman
1927; Byers 1930) and Bick (1941) reared this species from an egg,
describing each larval instar in detail.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 36-48 mm; abdomen: 24-30 mm; hindwing: 30-34 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow moving creeks, streams and
rivers.

**Great Pondhawk** *Erythemis vesiculosa* (Fabricius): Libellulidae

Male, Dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image31.png){width="1.75in" height="1.1548611111111111in"}This
species is called the Great Pond Hawk because of its large size. It
occurs from Kansas south through the central part of our area to
Argentina. Its size and the dark wide bands on abdominal segments 4-7
will distinguish it from other species, including the smaller E.
simplicicollis and E. collocata, which have interrupted rings or spots
on abdominal segments 4-7. The face and thorax are bright green and
unmarked. The wings are hyaline with a green pterostigma in juveniles
and the abdomen is green, marked as described above, with segments 8-10
black. The caudal appendages are pale yellow. The legs are greenish
basally, but black for most of their length, with large prominent
femoral and tibial spines. Klots (1932) described and illustrated the
larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 55-65 mm; abdomen: 40-48 mm; hindwing: 38-45 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow moving creeks, streams and
rivers.\
\
**Pin-tailed Pondhawk** *Erythemis plebja* (Burmeister): Libellulidae

Male, dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image32.png){width="1.8in" height="1.1881944444444446in"}This
is our only black pondhawk. It can easily be distinguished from other
dragonflies by a combination of its dark color, a small basal black spot
in the hindwing and an extremely thin abdomen. The similar Macrodiplax
balteata is larger, with more black basally in the hindwing, and the
abdomen is not noticeably narrowed. The face and thorax of E. plebeja
are brownish in juveniles and females and black in older males. The dark
abdomen is swollen basally and then extremely narrowed to the end, with
light brown rings on abdominal segments 4-7, that become obscured in
older males. The female

**Size:** Total length: 41-49mm; abdomen: 30-39 mm; hindwing: 30-37.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes, ditches and slow reaches of rivers and
streams.

**Wandering Glider** *Pantala flavescens* (Fabricius): Libellulidae

Male, dorsal-view John C. Abbott

![](media/image33.png){width="1.55in" height="1.0381944444444444in"}This
is probably the most widespread and cosmopolitan of all dragonflies. It
is commonly encountered throughout our area. It is distinctive with its
predominantly yellow color. The face is pale yellow becoming reddish in
older males. The thorax is olivaceous brown and largely unmarked. The
wings are clear, with males developing brown apices. The legs are pale
basally, becoming black for most of their length. The stout tapered
abdomen is yellow with black stripes laterally on the swollen basal
segments. The thin dark middorsal stripe widens and becomes noticeably
darker on segments 8-10. The pale caudal appendages are more or less
bicolored in males, darkening in their outer half. Cabot (1890) first
described the larva and more recently Musser (1962) illustrated it.
Similar species include P. hymenaea, which has a brown spot basally in
the wings and Sympetrum spp. which have normal shaped wings and
parallel-sided abdomens. Our species of Tramea all have wide crossbands
in the hindwings.

**Size:** Total length: 44-51 mm; abdomen: 25-34 mm; hindwing: 35-42 mm.

**Habitat:** Permanent and temporary ponds, pools and other water
bodies, including brackish ones.\
\
**Spot-winged Glider** *Pantala hymenaea* (Say): Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view

![](media/image34.png){width="1.75in" height="1.0208333333333333in"}This
species is very similar to P. flavescens and equally cosmopolitan in the
south-central U.S. The face and thorax are essentially as in that
species. Each hindwing, however, has a distinct round dark spot basally.
The abdomen is dark and mottled. Kennedy (1923b) and Musser (1962) have
described and illustrated the larva. This species can be distinguished
from P. flavescens by the presence of the dark basal hindwing spot and
darker abdomen. Other species (Tramea) that are similar and with which
P. hymenaea may fly either lack the basal wing spot or have this spot
differently shaped.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 43-51 mm; abdomen: 29-35 mm; hindwing: 39-45 mm.

**Habitat:** Open, temporary and artificial ponds and pools, including
brackish waters.

**Black Saddlebags** *Tramea lacerata* Hagen: Libellulidae

![](media/image35.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1444444444444444in"}Male,
dorsal view John C. Abbott

This is our only black Tramea. It is large with a yellowish face in
tenerals and females that becomes entirely black in mature males. The
top of the head, including the vertex, is deep metallic violet. The
thorax is brown with black iridescence on the sides. The wings are clear
with a broad black crossband covering the basal 1/4 of the hindwing.
There is a large prominent clear spot medially in this area, extending
to the inner wing margin. The legs are black. The abdomen is black with
a pair of yellowish spots dorsally on the middle segments which becomes
obscured except on segment 7. Bick (1951) described the early instar of
the larva from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Musser (1962) described the
final instar larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 47-55 mm; abdomen: 31-38 mm; hindwing: 40-48 mm.

**Habitat:** Marshy ponds, lakes, ditches and slow streams.

**Red-mantled Saddlebags** *Tramea onusta* Hagen: Libellulidae

Male, dorso-lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image36.png){width="1.75in" height="1.1548611111111111in"}This
is another red species that is widely distributed, both across our area
and the entire U.S. The face is pale brown initially but turns red in
mature males. The thorax is brown and unmarked. The wings have
reddish-brown veins anteriorly and the hindwing has a large basal brown
crossband that doesn\'t generally extend beyond the midrib of the anal
loop. There is a large central clear spot in this crossband. The legs
are pale turning black more distally. The abdomen is yellowish-brown in
juveniles and females, but turns red in mature males. Segments 8-10 are
black dorsally. Byers (1927b) described the larva. This species is very
similar to T. carolina, and they can be very difficult to separate,
especially in flight. Distinguishing characteristics are given under the
former species.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 41-48 mm; abdomen: 28-34 mm; hindwing: 37-42 mm.

**Habitat:** Permanent and temporary ponds, lakes and slow streams.

![](media/image37.png){width="1.4in"
height="1.1576388888888889in"}**Striped Saddlebags** *Tramea calverti*
Muttkowski: Libellulidae\
\
This tropical species has expanded its northern range into Texas and up
the eastern seaboard. Its face is pale yellow turning red in mature
males and the vertex is metallic violet. The thorax is brown with 2
oblique pale stripes laterally. The wings are clear with a broad basal
brown stripe in the hindwing. The legs are pale basally and darker
beyond. The abdomen is yellowish in females and red in mature males.
Segments 8-10 are black dorsally. This is our only Tramea with a striped
thorax. It is most similar to the smaller Miathyria marcella, but it
lacks the complete middorsal black stripe of that species.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 44-49 mm; abdomen: 30-33 mm; hindwing: 37-42 mm.

**Habitat:** Temporary and permanent ponds and slow streams.

**Hyacinth Glider** *Miathyria marcella* (Sélys in Sagra): Libellulidae

Female, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image38.png){width="1.75in" height="1.1611111111111112in"}This
beautiful brown species is found all along the coastal areas of southern
Texas and Louisiana as well as some distance inland. It is similar to
members of the genus Tramea, but Tramea are all larger with the black on
the abdomen restricted to segments 8-10, and all but T. calverti lack
thoracic stripes. The face of M. marcella is pale, with the top of the
frons becoming metallic violet in older males. The thorax is tawny brown
with a pair of oblique cream-colored lateral stripes. These may become
obscured with age in males as the thorax progressively becomes darker
violet in color, starting with the front and the area between the wings.
The wings themselves are clear with light brown or reddish veins and a
dark basal band in each hindwing. There are relatively few antenodal
crossveins compared to other dragonflies this size, with 7 and 4 in the
fore- and hindwings, respectively. The legs are dark brown with paler
bases. The abdomen is orangish-brown with a black middorsal stripe. The
larva was described and illustrated by Bick (1953) and Westfall (1953).\
\
**Size:** Total length: 35-41 mm; abdomen: 21-27 mm; hindwing: 27-34 mm.

**Habitat:** Marshy ponds and lakes, including brackish waters, with
water hyacinth.\
\
**Marl Pennant** *Macrodiplax balteata* (Hagen): Libellulidae

Male obilisking

![](media/image39.png){width="1.6in" height="1.1416666666666666in"}This
widely distributed species is recognizable by a large black spot at the
base of the hindwing and a much smaller, but similar, spot in the
forewing. Mature males are similar to Erythemis plebeja, but they have a
larger spot in the hindwing, extending out to the hind margin of the
triangle, and they lack the unusually slender abdomen of that species. A
few species of Celithemis are similar, but all are much smaller. The
face and thorax in juvenile and female individuals are white and gray,
respectively. There is no middorsal stripe on the latter, only a darkly
outline carina. The lateral sutures on the side of thorax are
irregularly outlined by black and connected below, to appear as a \"W.\"
The wings are as described above with a narrow brown pterostigma. The
legs are pale at their bases and black throughout the rest of their
length. The abdomen is pale yellow outlined laterally, middorsally and
on the carinae by black. Segments 8-10 are entirely black. The mature
male darkens extensively, with the face and entire body turning black.
Needham and Fisher (1936) described and illustrated the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 35-42 mm; abdomen: 25-30 mm; hindwing: 31-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Large brackish ponds and lakes.\
\
**Red-tailed Pennant** *Brachymesia furcata* (Hagen): Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image40.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1222222222222222in"}This
species is found in the southern portions of Texas and is distinctive
from the other two species in this genus because of a relatively short
abdomen, distinctly shorter than the wings, that becomes brilliant red
in mature individuals. The face is yellow or red and the prothorax is
bilobed and covered by a dense fringe of long hairs. The pterothorax is
brown, unmarked and densely clothed with short hairs. The wings are
hyaline with a hint of yellow basally in the forewing and a larger spot
in the hindwing. The legs are brown becoming black distally. The abdomen
is swollen basally and strongly compressed, tapering towards the tip. It
is bright red in older males and some females, but usually
yellowish-brown in the latter. Garcia (1938) described and illustrated
the larva.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 38-46 mm; abdomen: 23-30 mm; hindwing: 30-36 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes and ditches with permanent or semipermanent
water including brackish waters.\
\
**Four-spotted Pennant** *Brachymesia gravida* (Calvert): Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image41.png){width="1.65in" height="1.0888888888888888in"}This
is the most widespread and commonly encountered member of this genus in
our region. It has a much longer abdomen that is parallel-sided, not
tapered, as in B. furcata. Young individuals are similar to those of B.
herbida, but the latter have a tan pterostigmata and lack the prominent
wing spots described below. The face is black and white, becoming wholly
black, along with the top of the head, in older individuals. The thorax
is brown, becoming dark bluish-black with age, but less so in females.
The wings have a distinct white pterostigma. Males and mature females
develop a dark brown spot between the nodus and pterostigma in all
wings. The legs are black. The abdomen is brown with an interrupted
longitudinal dark stripe in tenerals and females, but it becomes wholly
black in males. It is swollen basally, and somewhat compressed for a
short distance thereafter, but never tapering to the end. The larva was
described by Byers (1936) and Needham and Fisher (1936) separately.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 47-55 mm; abdomen: 30-40 mm; hindwing: 32-42 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds, lakes and roadside ditches, including brackish
waters.

**Halloween Pennant** *Celithemis eponina* (Drury): Libellulidae

Male, lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image42.png){width="1.65in" height="1.1in"}This is our
largest, most widely distributed, and perhaps most colorful Celithemis
species. Its common name is very descriptive of its distinctive orange
and brown or black wings. The face is yellowish or olivaceous, becoming
darker with age and red in males. The thorax is yellowish-green with a
dark middorsal stripe and narrow lateral stripes on each suture. The
midlateral stripe is usually not continuous after the spiracle. This is
the only species with completely yellowish-orange wings marked with
broad dark brown or black stripes and a red pterostigma. The abdomen is
slender with pale yellow dorsal spots that become red, with age, on
segments 3-7.

**Size:** Total length: 30-42 mm; abdomen: 20-30 mm; hindwing: 27-35 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds, borrow pits and marshes with emergent
vegetation.

**Banded Pennant** *Celithemis fasciata* Kirby: Libellulidae

Male, dorsal view John C. Abbott

![](media/image43.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1222222222222222in"}This
is another larger member of this group that is easily identified by its
dark color and clear wings with large black spots. The face and body of
this species are bright yellow, but quickly become black or dark blue in
males. The thorax is yellow, striped with black on the humeral,
midlateral and third lateral sutures, but becomes wholly black at
maturity. The wings are clear with a large basal black spot extending
out to the nodus and encompassing an amber area centrally in the
hindwing. There is also a dark spot in the outer half of the wing and
the wing tips are black. The abdomen is black with pale yellowish dorsal
markings on segments 5-7 that quickly become obscured in older
individuals. Leonard (1934) described the larva as C. monomelaena.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 28-38 mm; abdomen: 17-26 mm; hindwing: 24-32 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds and borrow pits with emergent vegetation.\
\
**Checkered Setwing** *Dythemis fugax* Hagen: Libellulidae

Female, lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image44.png){width="1.7in" height="1.1333333333333333in"}This
is a primarily southwestern species that is easily recognized by its
dark color and the large basal brown spots that extend out to not quite
1/4 the length of the wings. It is the only dark Dythemis in our region,
with strongly spotted wings. The face is olivaceous, but becomes bright
red in older males. The brown middorsal and antehumeral stripes are
broadly confluent above, exposing only a small isolated pale area. The
side of the thorax is bluish-gray or olivaceous with four brown diffuse
lateral stripes. The legs are black and the wings are as above with a
smaller spot of brown at the nodus and generally with dark wingtips. The
abdomen is bluish-gray to yellow basally and dark brown to black for
most of its length. There are pale spots laterally on segments 4-9 and
middorsally on 4-7, becoming large and most conspicuous on 7. The
remaining segments and caudal appendages are dark brown or black.
Needham (1904) described and illustrated the larva from Roswell, New
Mexico.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 42-51 mm; abdomen: 30-35 mm; hindwing: 35-40 mm.

**Habitat:** Ponds and lakes with emergent vegetation.

**Swift Setwing** *Dythemis velox* Hagen: Libellulidae

Female, lateral view John C. Abbott

![](media/image45.png){width="1.8in" height="1.1881944444444446in"}This
is another largely clear winged species that is very similar to D.
nigrescens, but the top of the frons is dull, never metallic, older
males generally lack heavy pruinescence, the wing tips are generally
darker and there are usually 3 rows of cells between vein A2 and the
hindwing margin. The face is olivaceous in tenerals and females and dark
brown in older males. The thorax and abdominal markings are as described
for D. nigrescens, but generally with less diffuse pruinosity. The wings
become amber in older individuals and have a spot of brown at the
extreme base in both wings. The tips are dark brown, more so than in D.
nigrescens. The legs are black. Needham (1904) described the larva from
the Sand River in San San Marcos, Texas.\
\
**Size:** Total length: 42-50 mm; abdomen: 25-32 mm; hindwing: 30-36 mm.

**Habitat:** Lakes, ponds and borrow pits as well as creeks, streams and
rivers with moderate current.

Information compiled for Chad Stinson, Refuge Biologist

by Jo Ann Kinsey

Resources:

Dunkle, Sidney W. 2000. *Dragonflies through Binoculars A Field Guide to
Dragonflies of North America.* Oxford University Press

http://www.esb.utexas.edu/jcabbott/ index.html