MYN – Pantala hymenaea exuvia

An odonate exuvia was photographed against a pure white background using the “Meet Your Neighbours” (MYN) technique.

This specimen is a Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) exuvia. Spot-winged Glider is a member of Family Libellulidae (Skimmers).

Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) | exuvia (face-head)

Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) | exuvia (dorsal view)

Genus Pantala

The genus Pantala includes two species in North America: Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea); and Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens).

Spot-winged Glider and Wandering Glider larvae/exuviae look similar. The lateral spines on abdominal segment nine (S9) are noticeably shorter for P. hymenaea (shown left) than P. flavescens (shown right) — a key field mark that can be used to differentiate the two species.

A Spot-winged Glider dragonfly (Pantala hymenaea) exuvia was collected by Andy Davidson near Richmond, Virginia USA.

A Wandering Glider dragonfly (Pantala flavescens) exuvia was received from Andy Davidson, graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The Backstory

Both specimens featured in this blog post were collected (near Richmond, Virginia USA) and identified by Andy Davidson. Andy is a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University working on a research project entitled “Predator-Prey Interactions in a Changing World.”

Related Resources

• Meet Your Tiniest Neighbors Using Macro Gear and a Field Studio Setup – an interview with Clay Bolt, co-founder of the “Meet Your Neighbours” project
• Meet Your Neighbours – The Field Studio e-Book, by Niall Benvie, co-founder of the “Meet Your Neighbours” project
• Test shots: Pantala flavescens exuvia

Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.

Tags: BoG Photo Studio, exuvia, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), lateral spines, Meet Your Neighbours, Pantala flavescens, Pantala hymenaea, Spot-winged Glider dragonfly, studio photography, Wandering Glider dragonfly