“Bender,” my nickname for a male Gray Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) with a malformed abdomen, is featured in the following set of annotated photos.
06 JUN 2018 | Northern Virginia | Gray Petaltail (male)
All 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”).
Gray Petaltail males have “indented” hind wings, as shown in the last photo.
06 JUN 2018 | Northern Virginia | Gray Petaltail (male)
Related Resources
Copyright © 2018 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Bender, cerci, claspers, epiproct, Family Petaluridae (Petaltails), Gray Petaltail dragonfly, habitat specialist, male, malformed, Tachopteryx thoreyi, terminal appendages
walter sanford's photoblog 
November 7, 2018 at 4:01 am |
[…] a Gray Petaltail dragonfly perched on my Cabela’s Safari Series vest. This individual is a male that I nicknamed “Bender” because of his malformed […]
December 28, 2018 at 4:09 am |
[…] Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) was spotted at a forested seep. This individual is a male with a malformed abdomen that I nicknamed […]