Damselfly

bugman

November 24th, 2008 at 11:54 am

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desperately seeking damselfly
Sun, Nov 23, 2008 at 8:50 PM
Hello again Bugman. I realize that damselflies are murder but can you help us get close on this one? This is another shot from Sam,11, taken near a pond by our house. Is this some variation of female Eastern Forktail? Hope you have a great Thanksgiving. We give thanks, among other things, that you are here! Jimmy
Sam and Daddy Jim
Pond, wetlands, 35 miles west of Chicago

eastern forktail female jimmy 300x165 Damselfly

Probably Eastern Forktail Damselfly, female

Hi Sam and Daddy Jim,
Male Damselflies are difficult enough for us to distinguish from one another, but the drabber females are really a challenge. We hope that by posting your image, a reader can comment. A female Eastern Forktail, Ischnura verticalis, seems like a very good bet based on imagery posted to BugGuide.

I like This

Comments 1

dflyiowa wrote:
Female Ischnura verticalis doesn’t seem very likely. Immatures are a distinct orange with black markings. The dorsum of the abdomen is orange with no black. When mature they become covered with a blueish-grey pruinosity.
As the post ocular spots are connected with a bar this is probably an Enallagma. Positive id would be the mesostigmal plates, but magnification is needed. Not visible in the photo.
Posted 22 Jan 2011 at 2:45 pm ¶