A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Coenagrionidae
This Damselfly has recently emerged from the nymph stage. It's almost transparent in this teneral stage. The body and wings are still limp but they will firm up in a very short amount of time. There was black between the eyes but I couldn't see markings on the abdomen or thorax from where I was.
Pond at Balboa Park.
"Damselflies have several different appearances as they mature. When they first emerge from the nymph stage, they are called tenerals and can be almost transparent (like the one shown above). With their wings not yet fully formed, they fly awkwardly to a nearby perch and rapidly begin to mature. The body color also darkens and becomes more vivid, particularly in older tenerals. Adult coloration is darker yet, then, as the damselflies continue to age, their colors begin to fade into softer, more subtle hues (the same is true with dragonflies)." - Natural History of Orange County, California
Spotted on Jul 21, 2012
Submitted on Jul 23, 2012
4 Comments
The pond was full of Koi and Turtles so I'm surprised the Damselfly even made it to that stage. Thank you for the info. I hope to be able to catch one emerging.
Exuviae are usually found near emergent damselflies and dragonflies. ;-) But seriously, according to Dennis Paulson, author of _Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East_, "Damselflies, clubtails, and some small skimmers often emerge just above the water, ... ."
Unfortunately I didn't see the exuvia. Where are they usually located?
Great catch, Cindy! Did you find the damselfly exuvia?