Blue Dasher dragonfly (male)

Pachydiplax longipennis

Description:

A Blue Dasher dragonfly spotted along the boardwalk that goes through the central wetland area at Huntley Meadows Park. This individual is a male, as indicated by its blue coloration and the terminal appendages at the end of its abdomen. Male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, called "claspers," including a pair of upper appendages called "cerci" and one lower appendage called an "epiproct." The Blue Dasher's cerci are black and are visible in all photos; its epiproct is tan and is visible in Photos 3-4. The male dragonfly's claspers are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating. The black nodules on the underside of the dragonfly's thorax, shown clearly in Photo 1, are probably some sort of parasitic mites. Some dragonflies, such as the Blue Dasher, regulate their body temperature by perching in the "obelisk position": the tip of the dragonfly's abdomen is pointed toward the Sun, minimizing the surface area of the body exposed to direct heating by the Sun's rays, thereby avoiding overheating.