A Calico Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis elisa) was observed during a photowalk with Michael Powell at Painted Turtle Pond, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.
16 AUG 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Calico Pennant (female)
This individual is a female, as indicated by her yellow abdomen and tan pterostigma. Gender identification based upon coloration alone is speculative at best, especially for this species of odonate. I was able to confirm the gender by looking at two other unpublished photos that show her terminal appendages.
Related Resource: Odonate Terminal Appendages — single-topic field guides for dragonflies and damselflies featuring both text and annotated photos.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Calico Pennant dragonfly, Celithemis elisa, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), female, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Painted Turtle Pond, pterostigma, terminal appendages
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