Michael Powell spotted a Slender Spreadwing damselfly (Lestes rectangularis) perched on greenbriar vine in a wetland area alongside the gravel trail we were following out of Huntley Meadows Park, located in Fairfax County, Virginia USA.
14 OCT 2020 | Huntley Meadows Park | Slender Spreadwing (female)
This individual is a female, as indicated by her coloration and terminal appendages. Notice the tip of her abdomen is enlarged because of her reproductive anatomy, including an ovipositor.
14 OCT 2020 | Huntley Meadows Park | Slender Spreadwing (female)
Female Slender Spreadwing can be confused with female Southern Spreadwing damselflies. Several key field marks are used to differentiate the two species.
Blue shoulder stripes, slender abdomen, the ratio of abdominal segments seven and nine (S7 and S9), and whitish wing tips all point to Slender Spreadwing. S7 is more than twice the length of S9 in Slender, covered in Ed Lam’s book. Source Credit: Dr. Michael Moore, a professor (retired) in the Department of Biological Sciences at University of Delaware and odonate expert extraordinaire. Dr. Moore’s new Web site is a treasure trove of helpful resources.
Related Resource: Damselflies of the Northeast, by Ed Lam (author and illustrator).
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Family Lestidae (Spreadwings), female, Huntley Meadows Park, Lestes rectangularis, ovipositor, Slender Spreadwing damselfly, terminal appendages
October 16, 2020 at 10:31 pm |
[…] sure to check out Walter’s blog posting today entitled “Slender Spreadwing damselfly (female)” to read his narrative and see his excellent photos of this beautiful female Slender […]