Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Libellula incesta. Insect. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.

Complete Guide To The Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly

ByChristine Species Guides

Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly

Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Images

How To Identify Slaty Skimmer Dragonflies

  • Slaty Skimmer dragonflies grow to:
    • 2 inches (52 mm) total body length.
    • 1.7 inches (42 mm) hind wing length.
  • Mature males have:
    • Dark eyes.
    • Black or metallic blue faces.
    • Solid, dark blue thoraxes and abdomens with little to no markings.
    • Clear wings except for black pterostigmas.
  • Female and immature Slaty Skimmer dragonflies have:
    • Red over gray eyes.
    • Pale faces that darken over time as they age.
    • Cream-colored thoraxes with wide, black shoulder stripes.
    • Black abdomens with yellow rectangular markings on the sides of abdominal segments S1 – S8.
  • Female Slaty Skimmers also have:
    • Yellow rectangles on S9.
    • Mostly clear wings with black pterostigmas and dark wing tips.

Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Notes

  • Look for Slaty Skimmer dragonflies throughout North Carolina near marshes, ponds, and slow-moving streams with muddy or mucky bottoms.
    • Male Slaty Skimmers are most likely to be found near the water.
    • Females stay farther inland unless ready to mate (Abbott 2015).
  • Male Slaty Skimmer dragonflies are territorial; they fly long patrols up and down the shoreline. When they spot encroaching dragonflies, they fly to intercept, circle the intruders a few times, then chase them off (Paulson 2011).
  • Female Slaty Skimmers fling their eggs along the shoreline or into open water.
    • A single female can lay more than 2000 eggs in a single session, even before she achieves her full adult coloration (Dunkle 2000).

Slaty Skimmer Dragonfly Classification

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Odonata

Family

Libellulidae (Skimmer Dragonflies)

Genus

Libellula

Species

L. incesta

Binomial Name

Libellula incesta

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Christine
Christine is the creator and author of NowIWonder.com, a website dedicated to the animals and plants that share our world, and the science that helps us understand them. Inspired by lifelong exploration and learning, Christine loves to share her knowledge with others who want to connect with wild faces and wild spaces.
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