Dragonfly Eye

While I have been waiting for my wife to go into labor I have been working on my records.  Yesterday I finished the data sheets for the NY DEC survey, and dropped them in the mail.  Today I finally got around to logging into my OdonataCentral account and start uploading records.  I just finished putting in all new county/species records from 2005.  I had 15 new records in 2005, but only uploaded 13 of them.  The other two did not have good enough pictures to make a correct ID, but I have better pictures from 2006.  Uploading your records is made very easy.  Before they are accepted a biologist needs to review each record for correctness.  This site is the definitive storing house for dragonfly research.  You can search by counties or by species.  It uses Google earth to display collection locations.  Check it out and upload your records!

This unique species is the only one within its genus. It is one of the Pond Damsels, family Coenagrionidae. Some other genus in the family include the bluets, dancers, forktails, and red damsels. Most people would look at this damselfly and think that it was a bluet. If you take a closer look through, you will see that there are a few differences. For one, when the damsel is at rest it will hold its wings apart like a spreadwing would. Also unlike any bluet, it has a patch of yellow on the lower sides of the thorax. Males have blue sides on the thorax with a lower yellow patch.  Males also have segments 8 & 9 almost completely blue.  In females and juvenile males the blue is typically replaced with a light brown or gray, but a blue form female does exist.

If you would like to find one, you should search in vegetation around calm water at streams, clean lakes, and ponds in early spring. It has also been found in bogs and fens. My early date is May 26 an the late date is June 9. I have found it at three locations, the Jamestown Audubon and the pond at the Rodger Tory Peterson Institute in Chautauqua county and locations in Allegany State Park including Red House lake (in Cattaraugus county).

This year was certainly not as productive as 2006, but it was mostly due to me. I took a new job this spring and spent the summer working through the transition. It also involved me moving from Chautauqua to Niagara county. I only visited 15 sites. Regardless of this I was still able to add 4 more dragonflies to my NY list, the Common Sanddragon, Beaverpond Baskettail, Beaverpond Clubtail, and 4-Spotted Skimmer. That brings my total count in NY up to 64.

Calopterygidae
Calopteryx maculata (Ebony Jewlwing)

Coenagrionidae
Amphiagrion saucium (Eastern Red Damsel)
Argia apicalis (Blue-fronted Dancer)
Argia fumipennis violacea (Variable Dancer)
Argia tibialis (Blue-tipped Dancer)
Chromagrion conditum (Aurora Damsel)
Enallagma antennatum (Rainbow Bluet)
Enallagma ebrium (Marsh Bluet)
Enallagma geminatum (Skimming Bluet)
Enallagma signatum (Orange Bluet)
Enallagma traviatum (Slender Bluet)
Enallagma vesperum – Vesper Bluet
Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail)
Ischnura verticalis (Eastern Forktail)
Nehalennia irene (Sedge Sprite)

Lestidae
Lestes inaequalis (Elegant Spreadwing)
Lestes rectangularis – Slender Spreadwing

Aeshnidae
Anax junius – Common Green Darner

Corduliidae
Epicordulia princeps – Prince Baskettail
*Tetragoneuria canis – Beaverpond Baskettail
Epitheca (tetragoneuria) cynosura – Common Baskettail

Gomphidae
Arigomphus villosipes (Unicorn Clubtail)
Gomphus fraternus – Midland Clubtail
Gomphus lividus (Ashy Clubtail)
*Gomphus borealis- Beaverpond Clubtail
Gomphus spicatus (Dusky Clubtail)
Stylurus spiniceps – Arrow Clubtail (Exuvia)
*Progomphus obscurus – Common Sanddragon

Libellulidae
Celithemis elisa (Calico Pennant)
Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk)
Leucorrhinia intacta (Dot-tailed Whiteface)
Libellula (Ladona) julia – Chalk-fronted Corporal
Libellula luctuosa (Widow Skimmer)
Libellula pulchella (Twelve-spotted Skimmer)
*Libellula quadrimaculata – 4 Spotted Skimmer
Perithemis tenera (Eastern Amberwing)
Plathemis lydia (Common Whitetail)

Tramea lacerata – Black Saddlebags