Many types of dragonflies and damselflies, insects in the scientific order Odonata, inhabit water areas throughout the United States. In fact, the presence of Odonata species in an area provides an indicator of water quality.
Size differentiates damselflies and dragonflies, with dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera), the larger group of the two. Click on the Skimmers or Damselflies buttons to learn more. The remainder of the page covers the remaining dragonflies.
Darner Dragonflies
The picture shows a Great Blue Skimmer.
Phantom Darner
While the darner dragonfly family breaks down into approximately forty different species, divided into thirteen genera, almost forty per cent of the species belong to the genus Aeshna, or Mosaic Darners.
Many darner species also share some common physical characteristics. For convenience sake, think of darner identification in terms of two general rules of thumb. First, body color serves as the distinguishing gender detail. Most darners have bodies covered in shades of brown, green and/or blue. The absence or presence of thoracic stripes (top and side), along with their shape when present, serve as a second important darner identification clue.
Mangrove darner
Regal Darner
Common Green Darner
Cyrano Darner
Fawn Darner
Springtime Darner
male Variable Darner.
Shadow Darners
Black-tipped Darner
Canada Darner
Lance-tipped Darner
Paddle-tailed Darner
The California Darner
female California Darner.
Blue-eyed Darner
Females can have a green or yellow coloration to the body.
Spatterdock Darner
Swamp Darner
Female Swamp darner
Spiketail Dragonflies
With only eight or nine species found in the United States, Spiketails rank among the least populous of the dragonfly families.
The Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis), pictured above, is the most common Western species.
IApache Spiketail
Arrowhead Spiketail
Brown Spiketail
Delta-spotted Spiketail
Tiger Spiketail
Twin-spotted Spiketail
Say’s Spiketail
Petaltail Dragonflies
Petaltails are believed to be the oldest of the dragonfly families. Fossil records date them back one hundred and fifty million years.
In total, only eleven species are documented world wide, two of which are native to the United States.
The Black Petaltail, pictured. is found along the West Coast, mostly in sunny habitats near streams or rivers.
River Cruisers
Their habit of cruising up and down roads and rivers explains the common name for the nine native River Cruiser dragonflies.
The picture shows the Florida Cruiser.
Clubtails
Second only to the skimmers in number of species, approximately one hundred clubtail dragonflies fly around the water areas of North America.
The common name derives from the comparatively, irregular appearance of the tail at the bottom of the abdomen. However, in physical terms, it’s really the separated eyes that characterize the family members.
The Grappletail inhabits cool mountain streams from British Columbia, south through California.
The picture at the top of the page shows a side view of the male with white nose and white thorax stripes. There is also a yellow form.
Dragonhunter
Two-striped Forceptail
Four-striped Leaftail
The Great Basin Snaketail
Pale Snaketail
Sinuous Snaketail
Serpent ringtail
Eastern Ringtail
Common Sanddragon
Gray Sanddragon
Black-shouldered Spinylegs
Second only to the skimmers in number of species, approximately one hundred clubtail dragonflies (Gomphidae) fly around the water areas of North America.
Approximately sixty percent of the Gomphidae species have the common name Clubtail.
Here’s the Russet-tipped Clubtail.
Riverine Clubtail
Olive Clubtail
Zebra Clubtail
Lancet Clubtail
Pronghorn Clubtail
Rapids Clubtail
Harpoon Clubtail
The Ashy Clubtail
Dusky Clubtail
Cypress Clubtail
Pacific Clubtail
Sulphur-tipped clubtail
Eastern Least Clubtail
Midland Clubtail
Cobra Clubtail
Tamaulipan Clubtails
Skillet Clubtails
Jade Clubtail
Unicorn Clubtail
Lilypad Clubtail
Emeralds
Approximately fifty native Emerald dragonfly species, in six different genera, have been identified. Here’s a sample of representative species from all six of the genera.
Ringed Emerald
Brush-tipped Emerald
Beaverpond Baskettail
Common Baskettail
Prince Baskettail
Sepia Baskettail
Spiny Baskettail
Shadowdragon
Smoky Shadowdragon
Racket-tailed Emerald
Ringed Boghaunter
Uhler’s Sundragon