Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly (immature male)

Erythemis simplicicollis

Description:

Photos 1-4 show a green Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly spotted on the earthen dam at Hidden Pond. Male Eastern Pondhawks are blue and females are green so this dragonfly must be female, right? Wrong! Photo 1 is a composite image illustrating the differences between male- and female terminal appendages: male appendages are shown in the background photo; female appendages are shown in the inset photo. Photos 1-4 show an immature male; Photo 5 shows a mature female spotted at Huntley Meadows Park on 13 June 2012. All male dragonflies have three terminal appendages, collectively called “claspers,” that are used to grab and hold female dragonflies during mating: an upper pair of cerci (“superior appendages”) and an epiproct (unpaired “inferior appendage”). Female dragonflies have a pair of cerci (superior appendages) that have little or no function.

Habitat:

Hidden Pond, a small lake located at Meadowood Recreation Area in Fairfax County, Virginia USA. Related Resource: Meadowood Recreation Area Trail Map (PDF) http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/b...