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Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Libellula pulchella

Photo by Kyle A
Published on Project Noah
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41.9127, -71.4528

Field Notes

Description:

About 2-1/2 inches long.

Habitat:

On the edge of a field bordering woods near a pond.

Species ID Suggestions

Twelve-spotted Skimmer

Libellula pulchella

Reference Link
Jacob Gorneau
1

Comments (7)
Geodialist
Not all dragonflies exhibit sexual dimorphism like Twelve-spotted Skimmers. One way to tell males from females is to look at their terminal appendages. For more information related to terminal appendages, refer to the following post about Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies. TAs vary slightly from one species to another, but some characteristics are common to all dragonflies. http://waltersanford.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/eastern-pondhawk-dragonflies/
Kyle A
Excellent, thank you very much for the information Geodialist.
Geodialist
It is a male as indicated by its coloration and terminal appendages. Females look very different! Here's a good example of a female: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/9862447
Kyle A
First off: what features indicate that this is a male? Secondly: thanks for the camera suggestion and link. $400 might be out of my price range but I'm sure I'll find something better than my phone that's within my budget.
Geodialist
This individual is a male. The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ70 features a 60x zoom (that's right, 60x!), shoots RAW, and is only $399. I own its predecessor, two generations removed. I'm VERY HAPPY with my DMC-FZ150. Image quality is superb. http://waltersanford.wordpress.com/
Kyle A
Thank you very much Jacob. Your help is greatly appreciated. You are a gentleman and a scholar. It's so darn tough to get a good image of dragonflies with my phone. I gotta get myself a decent camera

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Global Dragonflies & Damselflies
Mission
Wildlife of Northeastern USA
Mission
National Geographic's Great Nature Project

Tags

Photographed
PublishedAugust 29, 2013

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