Two Common Whitetail dragonflies (Plathemis lydia) were spotted perched on a wooden fence rail located near the terminus of the Hike-Bike Trail at Huntley Meadows Park (HMP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
The individual shown on the left is a mature female; the one on the right is a mature male.
15 SEP 2016 | HMP | Common Whitetail (mature female and male)
Sexing Common Whitetail dragonflies
For many of the common species of odonates found in Northern Virginia, I created a collection of annotated guides that illustrates how to differentiate gender by looking at terminal appendages. The difference in the pattern of wings spots for male and female Common Whitetails is sufficient to identify gender.
Life Cycle of Odonates
Odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are aquatic insects that spend most of their life as larvae that live in water; this stage of their life cycle can last from a few months to a few years, depending upon the species. Finally, they emerge from the water and metamorphose into adults in order to reproduce; their offspring return to the water and the cycle begins again.
I wonder how these two mature adults were able to be so close yet resist the compelling biological urge to hook up!
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Common Whitetail dragonfly, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), Hike-Bike Trail, Huntley Meadows Park, life cycle, mature female, mature male, Plathemis lydia, terminal appendages
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