Calico making the case for claspers

A Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) was spotted at Painted Turtle Pond, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge (OBNWR), Prince William County, Virginia USA.

Mature adult female Calico Pennants are yellow; mature adult male Calico Pennants are red. So the following individual must be female, right? Wrong!

20 JUN 2017 | OBNWR | Calico Pennant (immature male)

This individual is an immature male, as indicated by his terminal appendages and yellow coloration.

Male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”); and a lower unpaired epiproct (“inferior appendage”).

20 JUN 2017 | OBNWR | Calico Pennant (immature male)

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

In contrast, female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.

20 JUN 2017 | OBNWR | Calico Pennant (female)

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

Color can be a deceptive field marker. Immature males appear similar to immature females of the same species (and some mature females) for many types of dragonflies that display sexual dimorphism. This is true for many members of Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), such as Calico Pennant. Terminal appendages may be used to differentiate gender for many species of dragonflies.

20 JUN 2017 | OBNWR | Calico Pennant (immature male)

Related Resource: Odonate Terminal Appendages — single-topic field guides for dragonflies and damselflies featuring both text and annotated photos.

Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

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Tags: Calico Pennant dragonfly, Celithemis elisa, cerci, claspers, epiproct, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, immature male, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Painted Turtle Pond, terminal appendages