Rambur's Forktail Damselfly

Description:

Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae. Males are green with blue on abdominal segments 8 and 9. Females orange-red, olive green, or may look like males. This is an andromorph female, which is a female that looks like a male.

Habitat:

Ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow streams with vegetation and sunlight are its main habitat. Damselfly nymphs never live in salt water, but I. ramburii nymphs have been observed in brackish and even sulphurous waters. This one was photographed at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta (Richmond County), GA.

Notes:

Several species of damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies are characterized by a female-limited polymorphism in which one type of female, the andromorph, looks and behaves like males whereas the other type of female, the gynomorph, looks and behaves differently. Sexual conflict has been hypothesized to play a role in the maintenance of this polymorphism in that andromorphs may have an advantage over gynomorphs by avoiding costly sexual interactions through male mimicry.