Female Slaty Skimmers have a pair of flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) that are used to scoop water when laying eggs (oviposition), hence the family name “Skimmer.”
The Spangled Skimmer is easily differentiated from similar-looking brown-and-yellow and/or blue dragonflies by its distinctive black-and-white pterostigmas located along the leading edge of all four wings (toward the wingtips).
Female Spangled Skimmers have a pair of flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) that are used to scoop water when laying eggs (oviposition), hence the family name “Skimmer.” Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Immature male Spangled Skimmers and immature/adult female Spangled Skimmers (shown above) are nearly identical in appearance except for their terminal appendages.
22 MAY 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Spangled Skimmer (immature male)
Contrast the astounding difference in appearance between immature male and adult male Spangled Skimmers.
26 MAY 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Spangled Skimmer (adult male)
Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta) is a member of the Skimmer Family of dragonflies. Females lay eggs (oviposition) by skimming the water surface repeatedly, hence the family name “Skimmer“; two flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) scoop water that is used to flick fertilized eggs toward shore, as illustrated in the following annotated image. Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
10 JUN 2015 | Huntley Meadows Park | Slaty Skimmer (mature female)
The following movie shows the same female laying eggs in a large pool of water downstream from the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park on 10 June 2015.
Tech Tip: The preceding movie looks better viewed in full-screen mode.
Look closely at the full-size version of the following annotated image. Female Great Blue Skimmers have a pair of flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) that are used to scoop water when laying eggs (oviposition), hence the family name “Skimmer.” Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Immature Great Blue Skimmer dragonflies and immature Slaty Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula incesta) — including both females and males — look very similar. In my opinion, the best field marker for differentiating the two species is femur coloration: Great Blue Skimmer femora are mostly tan; Slaty Skimmer femora are mostly black.
The following female Slaty Skimmer was spotted along the “Hike-Bike Trail” at Huntley Meadows Park. Contrast the difference in coloration of the Slaty Skimmer femurs (below) with the Great Blue Skimmer femurs (above).
Spangled Skimmers display sexual dimorphism. Although mature males and females look different, immature males and females look similar. Terminal appendages may be used to differentiate immature males from females.
Female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.
Look closely at the full-size version of the following annotated image. Female Spangled Skimmers have two flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) that are used to scoop water when laying eggs (oviposition), hence the family name “Skimmer.” Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Another useful field marker that may be used to differentiate males from females: females have broad dark wing tips; males, not so much.
Male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”) and a lower unpaired epiproct (“inferior appendage”).
Blue pruinescence that covers the body of following mature male Spangled Skimmer makes it look quite different from the immature male (shown above), other than its terminal appendages and distinctive black-and-white pterostigmata.
Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata) is a member of the Skimmer Family of dragonflies. Females lay eggs (oviposition) by skimming the water surface repeatedly, hence the family name “Skimmer“; two flanges beneath their eighth abdominal segment (S8) scoop water that is used to flick fertilized eggs toward the shore, as illustrated in the following annotated image. Remember that all dragonflies and damselflies have a 10-segmented abdomen, numbered from front to back.
Editor’s Note:Copulation between male and female Painted Skimmers occurs in-flight and is very brief, lasting just a few seconds. In my experience, oviposition is brief too. My camera was set up for shooting still photographs when I spotted the mating pair; by the time I moved into position, the pair had separated and the female was laying eggs. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to shoot video rather than stills. The video quality isn’t great, buy hey, at least I captured the moment, albeit brief!
