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Libellula lydia, Plathemis lydia
A couple of Common Whitetail dragonflies spotted along the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park. These individuals are males, as indicated by their coloration, the pattern of their wing spots, and the "claspers" (terminal appendages) at the end of their abdomens. The dragonfly shown in Photos 3-4 appears to have mated at least once. "Males that have mated often have marks on their abdomen where the female legs have scratched them. This is especially obvious in species in which males develop pruinosity, as the pruinosity on the midabdomen is scratched off, and the signs are visible at some distance." Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 390-392). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition. Related Resource: Pruinescence http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruinescenc...
Huntley Meadows Park, a 1,425 acre wetland area in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. Related Resource: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/huntl...
Copyright © 2012 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved. www.wsanford.com
Spotted on Apr 17, 2012
Submitted on Aug 30, 2012
1 Comment
WOW! I guess this is one of the easiest dragonflies to ID with that white tail. I haven't seen one yet. Incredible! Thanks again for your help with ID of my dragonfly.