Great Spreadwing damselfly claspers (male)

All male damselflies have four terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female damselflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”); and a lower pair of paraprocts (“inferior appendages”).

All four claspers can be seen in some species of Broad-winged damselflies (Family Calopterygidae) such as Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata), and in some species of Spreadwing damselflies  (Family Lestidae) such as Slender Spreadwing (Lestes rectangularis), Southern Spreadwing (Lestes australis), and Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus).

In contrast, most photos of male Great Spreadwing damselflies (Archilestes grandis) only show the cerci; the paraprocts look like two small nubs that are out of sight, tucked underneath the cerci. The following photo of a male Great Spreadwing, spotted at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP), provides an uncommon peek at the paraprocts from the damselfly’s dorsal side (see photo inset).

11 OCT 2015 | HMP | Great Spreadwing (male, nicknamed “Bendy Straw”)

(See full-size versions of the annotated image, as well as the original photo, without annotation.)

I nicknamed this male Great Spreadwing “Bendy Straw” because of his slightly malformed abdomen.

Graphic image courtesy Mark Jette, created using Adobe Illustrator.

Remember, all male dragonflies have three terminal appendages: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”) and a lower unpaired epiproct (“inferior appendage”).

The last photo provides another peek at the paraprocts from the damselfly’s dorsal side (see photo inset).

21 OCT 2015 | HMP | Great Spreadwing (male)

(See full-size versions of the annotated image, as well as the original photo, without annotation.)

Related Resource: Odonate Terminal Appendages

Copyright © 2015 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tags: Archilestes grandis, cerci, claspers, Family Lestidae (Spreadwings), Great Spreadwing damselfly, Huntley Meadows Park, male, malformed, paraprocts, terminal appendages, vernal pool, wildlife photography