A Blue-ringed Dancer damselfly (Argia sedula) was spotted during a photowalk with Michael Powell along Popes Head Creek at Hemlock Overlook Regional Park (HORP), Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
29 AUG 2019 | HORP | Blue-ringed Dancer (male)
This individual is a male, as indicated by his blue coloration and terminal appendages. (Female Blue-ringed Dancer is mostly brown/tan in color.)
29 AUG 2019 | HORP | Blue-ringed Dancer (male)
Adult flight period
According to records for the Commonwealth of Virginia maintained by Dr. Steve Roble, Staff Zoologist at the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, the adult flight period for A. sedula is from May 17 to October 24. The species is classified as common. Its habitat is “streams” and “rivers.”
Bear in mind, Dr. Roble’s records are for the entire state, therefore the adult flight period for A. sedula seems to be longer than it is in reality. The adult flight period for a single site is probably shorter.
New species
Blue-ringed Dancer is a new species for my Life List of Damselflies (Order Zygoptera).
Credit
Thanks to Michael Boatwright, founder and administrator of the Virginia Odonata Facebook group, for help in identifying this specimen.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Argia sedula, Blue-ringed Dancer damselfly, Family Coenagrionidae, Hemlock Overlook Regional Park, male, Narrow-winged Damselflies, Popes Head Creek, terminal appendages
September 2, 2019 at 8:13 am |
Wow. I didn’t realize that it was a new species for you, Walter. You got some nice shots of it. I guess I need to go back over my shots from that day to see if I captured any decent images of this species–I I think that most of my shots that day were of Powdered Dancers and Blue-fronted Dancers.