Part 2: Slender Spreadwing (adult male)

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.

Adult Male

This is the male member of a mating pair of Slender Spreadwing damselflies spotted on 24 June 2016 in a meadow located near a vernal pool from which the pair probably emerged.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (adult male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by its coloration and terminal appendages.

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (adult male)

(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)

In contrast with male dragonflies, 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 epiprocts (“inferior appendages”).

24 JUN 2016 | HMP | Slender Spreadwing (adult male)

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 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 1: Slender Spreadwing damselflies (mating pair)
• 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 male, cerci, claspers, epiproct, Family Lestidae (Spreadwings), Huntley Meadows Park, Lestes rectangularis, Slender Spreadwing damselfly, terminal appendages, vernal pool, wildlife photography