Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cape Cod



This page was updated on 19 March 2000.

The following list is based on Virginia Carpenter's book entitled The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cape Cod (published by the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in 1991) and recent field sightings. Common names are based on the list of Common Names of North American Dragonflies and Damselflies, recently published by the Dragonfly Society of the Americas in their newsletter Argia (volume 8, number 2, August 1996).

DAMSELFLIES (Zygoptera)

Broad-winged Damselflies (Calopterygidae)

  1. Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata - male) (female)
  2. American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americana - male) (female)

Spread-winged Damselflies (Lestidae)

  1. Spotted Spreadwing (Lestes congener - male) (female)
  2. Common Spreadwing (Lestes disjunctus - male)
  3. Emerald Spreadwing (Lestes dryas - male) [historic]
  4. Amber-winged Spreadwing (Lestes eurinus - male) (female)
  5. Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus - male) (female)
  6. Elegant Spreadwing (Lestes inaequalis - male)
  7. Slender Spreadwing (Lestes rectangularis - male) (female)
  8. Lyre-tipped Spreadwing (Lestes unguiculatus - male) (female)
  9. Swamp Spreadwing (Lestes vigilax - male) (female)

Narrow-winged Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)

  1. Eastern Red Damsel (Amphiagrion saucium - male) (female)
  2. Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis - male) (dark-winged male) (pair)
  3. Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta - male) (pair)
  4. Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum - male)  (ovipositing pair)
  5. Taiga Bluet (Coenagrion resolutum) - new in 1996
  6. Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum - male) (female) (pair)
  7. Tule Bluet (Enallagma carunculatum - male) (pair)
  8. Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile - male) (female)
  9. Northern Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum - male) (pair)
  10. Turquoise Bluet (Enallagma divagans - male) (pair)
  11. Atlantic Bluet (Enallagma doubledayi - male) (female)
  12. Big Bluet (Enallagma durum - male)
  13. Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans - male) (female)
  14. Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum - male) (pair)
  15. Hagen's Bluet (Enallagma hageni - male) [historic]
  16. New England Bluet (Enallagma laterale - male)
  17. Little Bluet (Enallagma minusculum - male)
  18. Scarlet Bluet (Enallagma pictum - male)  (pair)
  19. Pine Barrens Bluet (Enallagma recurvatum - male) (pair)
  20. Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum - male 1) (male 2)   (female)
  21. Slender Bluet (Enallagma traviatum - male) (female)
  22. Vesper Bluet (Enallagma vesperum - male)
  23. Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata - male) (female)
  24. Lilypad Forktail (Ischnura kellicotti - male) (orange female) (blue female)
  25. Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita - male) (female)
  26. Furtive Forktail (Ischnura prognata) - new in 1996
  27. Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii) (female)
  28. Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis - male) (orange female) (blue female)
  29. Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis - female) (pair)
  30. Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene - male) (female)

DRAGONFLIES (Anisoptera)

Darners (Aeshnidae)

  1. Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis - male) (female)
  2. Mottled Darner (Aeshna clepsydra - male) (female)
  3. Lance-tipped Darner (Aeshna constricta - male) (female) - new in 1996
  4. Spatterdock Darner (Aeshna mutata - male) (female)
  5. Black-tipped Darner (Aeshna tuberculifera - male) (female)
  6. Shadow Darner (Aeshna umbrosa - male) (female)
  7. Green-striped Darner (Aeshna verticalis - male) (female)
  8. Common Green Darner (Anax junius - male) (female)
  9. Comet Darner (Anax longipes - male) (female)
  10. Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata - female) (lateral view)
  11. Fawn Darner (Boyeria vinosa - male) (female)
  12. Swamp Darner (Epiaeschna heros - male)
  13. Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata - male) (female)

Clubtails (Gomphidae)

  1. Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus - male)  (female)
  2. Spine-crowned Clubtail (Gomphus abbreviatus - male)
  3. Lancet Clubtail (Gomphus exilis - male) (female)
  4. Midland Clubtail (Gomphus fraternus - male)
  5. Dusky Clubtail (Gomphus spicatus - male1) (male 2) (female) [historic]
  6. Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus - male)

Emeralds (Corduliidae)

  1. Petite Emerald (Dorocordulia lepida - male) (female)
  2. Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura - male)  (female)
  3. Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps - male)
  4. Clamp-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora tenebrosa - male) (female)
  5. Brush-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora walshii - male) (female)

Belted and River Cruisers (Macromiidae)

  1. Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa - immature male) (male - dorsal)
  2. Illinois River Cruiser (Macromia illinoisensis - male) (female)

Common Skimmers (Libellulidae)

  1. Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa - male) (female)
  2. Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina - male)
  3. Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata - male) (immature male)
  4. Martha's Pennant (Celithemis martha - male) (mature female) (immature female)
  5. Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis - male) (female)
  6. Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice - male) (female)
  7. Frosted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia frigida - male) (female)
  8. Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta - male) (female)
  9. Golden-winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis - male) (female)
  10. Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena - male) - new in 1996
  11. Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea - male) (female)
  12. Blue Corporal (Libellula deplanata - male) (female)
  13. White Corporal (Libellula exusta - male) (female)
  14. Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta - male) (female)
  15. Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa - male) (female)
  16. Common Whitetail (Libellula lydia - male) (female)
  17. Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami - male) (female)
  18. Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella - male) (female)
  19. Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata - male)
  20. Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata - male) (female)
  21. Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans - male)
  22. Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella - male) (female)
  23. Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis - male) (female)
  24. Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens - male) (female)
  25. Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea - male) (female)
  26. Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera - male) (female)
  27. Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum - male) (female)
  28. Saffron-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum costiferum - male) (female)
  29. White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum - male) (female) [historic]
  30. Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum rubicundulum - male) (female)
  31. Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum - male) (female)
  32. Yellow-legged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum - male) (female)
  33. Striped Glider (Tramea calverti - male) - new in 1997
  34. Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina - male)
  35. Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacerata - male)  (female)

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