Male and female Black Saddlebags dragonflies (Tramea lacerata) are somewhat similar in appearance. Terminal appendages can be used to identify gender.
Female
A female Black Saddlebags was spotted along Deephole Point Road at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.
10 SEP 2017 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Black Saddlebags (female)
Female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.
10 SEP 2017 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Black Saddlebags (female)
(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)
Male
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”).
A male Black Saddlebags was spotted in the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park, Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
12 SEP 2014 | Huntley Meadows Park | Black Saddlebags (male)
(See a full-size version of the original photo, without annotation.)
Copyright © 2017 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Black Saddlebags dragonfly, cerci, claspers, epiproct, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, Huntley Meadows Park, male, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, terminal appendages, Tramea lacerata
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January 1, 2018 at 4:02 am |
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