Eastern Red Damselfly, Amphiagrion saucium
Coenagrionidae or Narrow-Wing Damselfly Family
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A
small damselfly, a bit over an inch long. Male (right) has a
bright red abdomen, usually with black spots on the top near the end
(visible, but not clear in picture). Thorax and head are medium
blue to dark blue to black. Female (on the left) is duller in
color, generally a shade of brown, but often with a tint of red on the
abdomen. She usually also has the abdominal spots (hidden in
picture). The two in the photograph are what is called "in tandem," which is part of the process of mating. The male has special claspers at the end of his abdomen with which he grabs the female by the neck (dragonflies do this also, except the male grabs her by the head). In tandem like this, they take off and fly around, like lovers on a bicycle built for two. Occasionally they stop to rest, as in the photograph. The actual mating occurs when the female curls the tip of her abdomen up to connect to the underside of the male's thorax, allowing sperm to be transferred. A native of the eastern US and southeastern Canada, as far west as the Dakotas and Oklahoma. They hang out around seeps, bogs and ponds, and sometimes small rivers and creeks. The pictured couple was dating in the entrance wetland. Despite the male's brilliant color, they are not easy to find because of their small size and tendency to hide in the vegetation. The only red damselfly in Wildwood. A very similar species, the Western Red Damselfly (A. abbreviatum) is found in the western US amd Canada. |
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