Welcome to Catnapin's

Insect Gallery

Damselfly

order Odonata

Damselflies look like small dragonflies.  But when resting, damselflies wings are usually folded vertically but there are a few species that don't fold them.

Damselflies start as nymphs in the water.  They can molt many times before their adult molting, this is when they leave the water and through metamorphosis become a flying creature.  They are insectivores as nymphs and adults.

Damselfly nymphs are slender with three external feathery gills.  They move by wiggling.

Male

Female

Male and Female

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Familiar Damselfly Enallagma civile

On tail, segments 6 & 7 have more black on top, segments 8 & 9 are all blue, segment 10 is black or has blue sides.

Immature males are tan instead of blue.

Females are lighter, may be blue, tan, or green with mostly black on top.

Photo taken in Taylor County, April 2005, July 2008

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Blue-fronted Dancer Damselfly Argia apicalis

Face is blue.  Body is mostly blue with thin black lines.  Black eyes.  Tail is black except segments 8,9,10 are blue.  Lower parts are lighter.

Females can be blue or brown, no blue on tail tip.

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Fragile Forktail Damselfly Ischnura posita

Pale to bright green sometimes bluish.  Top of body is black with elongated dots not stripes.  Tail black with lighter nodes.

Male tail is very thin.  Female tail is thicker and lighter.

Photo taken in Taylor County, June 2005

Other Species that May be in My Area

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Northern Bluet (Common Blue) Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum

Much like the Familiar Damselfly but black segments are more even.  Blue head has a black band in front.

Female is gray.

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Stream Bluet Damselfly Enallagma exsulans

Male is blue, tail is mostly black, last two segments are blue on top.

Female is light green with black stripe down center, last two segments are blue.

family Coenagrionidae (Narrow-winged Damselfly)

Comanche Damselfly Argia barretti

Blue head and body with thin stripes.  Black eyes  Tail segments blue on top black sides.  Tip of tail wider