Complete Guide To The Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly Images
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly Libellula cyanea. Insect. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly Libellula cyanea. Insect. Photograph taken by the author. Copyright © 2025 Now I Wonder. All rights reserved.
How To Identify Spangled Skimmer Dragonflies
- Spangled Skimmer dragonflies grow to:
- 1.8 inches (46 mm) in total body length.
- 1.4 inches (35 mm) in hind wing length.
- Mature Spangled Skimmer males have:
- Dark eyes.
- Metallic black faces.
- Solid, pruinose blue thoraxes and abdomens with no markings.
- Clear wings with orange-brown color along the leading edges and bright, gleaming black and white pterostigmas.
- Females and immature Spangled Skimmer dragonflies have:
- Dark eyes and faces.
- Cream-colored thoraxes with wide black shoulder stripes that extend past hind wings and a thin black side stripe.
- Black abdomens with yellow rectangular patches down the sides.
- Wings that look like those of mature males plus dark tips.
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly Notes
- Look for Spangled Skimmer dragonflies throughout North Carolina around marshy ponds and lakes, especially those with cattails and lilies growing in and near the water (Dunkle 2000).
- Male Spangled Skimmer dragonflies fly low over the water on long, back-and-forth patrols.
- Female Spangled Skimmer dragonflies lay their eggs in water but also on moist ground.
Spangled Skimmer Dragonfly Classification
|
Phylum |
Arthropoda |
|
Class |
Insecta |
|
Order |
Odonata |
|
Family |
Libellulidae (Skimmer Dragonflies) |
|
Genus |
Libellula |
|
Species |
L. cyanea |
Binomial Name |
Libellula cyanea |
