A seamless transition from the spring species of odonates to the summer species is slowly but surely underway.
Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea) is a summer species that starts to appear in Northern Virginia in late spring. The following individual — spotted at Hidden Pond during a photowalk at Meadowood Recreation Area (MRA), Fairfax County, Virginia USA — is a teneral female, as indicated by her tenuous wings and terminal appendages.
21 MAY 2018 | MRA | Spangled Skimmer (teneral female)
Female Spangled Skimmers have a pair of flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment that are used to scoop and hold a few drops of water when laying eggs (oviposition), hence the family name “Skimmer.” Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, Hidden Pond, Libellula cyanea, Meadowood Recreation Area, oviposition, Spangled Skimmer dragonfly, teneral, terminal appendages
Leave a Reply