Slender Spreadwing damselflies (mating pair)

The Backstory: A cohort of emergent/teneral Slender Spreadwing damselflies (Lestes rectangularis) was discovered during late-May and early-June 2016 at a vernal pool located in Huntley Meadows Park (HMP). I have seen/photographed many female Slender Spreadwings in the past, but only one male. For the next few weeks, I focused upon finding and photographing mostly males from the cohort.

Mating Pair

A mating pair of Slender Spreadwing damselflies was spotted in a meadow located near a vernal pool from which the pair probably emerged. This pair is “in heart.”

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (mating pair, “in heart“)

All dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back: male damselfly secondary genitalia, called hamules, are located in segments two and three (S2 and S3); female genitalia in segment eight (S8). Damselflies form the mating wheel (also known as the mating heart) in order for their genitalia to connect during copulation.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (mating pair, “in heart“)

Therefore, the male is on upper-left; the female is on the lower-right.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (mating pair, “in heart“)

The next photo shows the mating pair “in tandem,” immediately after copulation. Editor’s Note: Male (soft focus); female (sharp focus).

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (mating pair, “in tandem“)

The last photo shows the mating pair, separated after being “in tandem.” The pair decoupled soon after the heart was broken. Editor’s Note: Male (sharp focus); female (soft focus).

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (mating pair, after separation)

Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 in a five-part series of blog posts documenting a cohort of Slender Spreadwing damselflies that emerged from a single vernal pool at Huntley Meadows Park, presented in reverse-chronological order from mature, reproducing adults to emergent tenerals.

• Part 2: Slender Spreadwing (adult male)
• Part 3: More adult male Slender Spreadwings
• Part 4: Young male Slender Spreadwings
• Part 5: Teneral male Slender Spreadwings

Copyright © 2016 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tags: adult female, adult male, claspers, Family Lestidae (Spreadwings), hamules, Huntley Meadows Park, in heart, in tandem, Lestes rectangularis, mating pair, Slender Spreadwing damselfly, teneral, terminal appendages, vernal pool, wildlife photography