Elegant spreadwing

Elegant spreadwing

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Lestidae
Genus: Lestes
Species: L. inaequalis
Binomial name
Lestes inaequalis
Walsh, 1862
Synonyms

Lestes virgo Calvert, 1897

Lestes inaequalis is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. This species is known commonly as the elegant spreadwing. It is native to eastern North America, including eastern Canada and the United States.[1]

Description

This species is 45 to 60 millimeters long.[2] The male has a metallic green and yellow thorax and a blue-tipped green abdomen. The body is pruinose, especially in older specimens. The female has a thicker body with duller coloration. This species is similar to the swamp spreadwing (L. vigilax) but larger in size, and to the amber-winged spreadwing (L. eurinus) but without the amber wings.[3]

Biology

This species lives near freshwater bodies such as streams, lakes, ponds, and marshes.[3] It may live under the canopy in wooded areas.[2]

The elegant spreadwing is known to feed on smaller damselflies.[2]

References

  1. NatureServe. 2015. Lestes inaequalis. NatureServe Explorer. Version 7.1. Accessed January 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Lestes inaequalis. Odonata Central.
  3. 1 2 Lestes inaequalis. Wisconsin Odonata Survey. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
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