Libellula is a genus of dragonflies

Dragonfly

A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...

, commonly called Skimmers, in the family Libellulidae

Libellulidae

The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded , there still remains a...

, distributed throughout the temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 zone of the Northern Hemisphere. Most species are found in the United States, where they are the best-known large dragonflies, often seen flying over freshwater ponds in summer. Many have showy wing patterns.

The taxa Ladona (Corporals) and Plathemis (Whitetails) have been considered as synonyms of Libellula, subgenera, or separate genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 by different authorities. Recent phylogenetic analysis has supported their status as either subgenera or full genera.

Species

Except as otherwise noted, species are native to North America.

• Libellula angelina
  Libellula angelina
  Libellula angelina is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. Its natural habitats are intermittent freshwater lakes and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss....
  
  (North China, Japan)
• Libellula auripennis – Golden-winged Skimmer (North and Central America)
• Libellula axilena – Bar-winged Skimmer
• Libellula comanche – Comanche Skimmer
• Libellula composita – Bleached Skimmer
• Libellula croceipennis – Neon Skimmer (North and Central America)
• Libellula cyanea
  Libellula cyanea
  Libellula cyanea is a species of dragonfly in the Libellula genus. It is known as the Spangled Skimmer, and is native to the United States of America....
  
  – Spangled Skimmer
• Libellula depressa – Broad-bodied Chaser (Europe, West Asia). Sometimes included in the genus Ladona.
• Libellula flavida – Yellow-sided Skimmer
• Libellula foliata (Mexico)
• Libellula forensis – Eight-spotted Skimmer
• Libellula fulva – Scarce Chaser
• Libellula gaigei (Central America)
• Libellula herculea (Central and South America)
• Libellula incesta
  Libellula incesta
  The Slaty Skimmer is a dragonfly of the skimmer family, native to eastern United States and southern Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. Adults are 52.8 mm long. Mature males are dark blue with black heads. Females and juveniles have brown abdomens with a darker stripe down their backs. Adults...
  
  – Slaty Skimmer
• Libellula jesseana – Purple Skimmer
• Libellula luctuosa – Widow Skimmer
• Libellula lydia – Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer
• Libellula mariae (Central America)
• Libellula melli (China)
• Libellula needhami – Needham's Skimmer
• Libellula nodisticta – Hoary Skimmer
• Libellula pulchella – Twelve-spotted Skimmer
• Libellula quadrimaculata – Four-spotted Skimmer or Four-spotted Chaser (Europe and North America)
• Libellula saturata – Flame Skimmer
• Libellula semifasciata
  Libellula semifasciata
  The Painted Skimmer is an uncommon eastern North American skimmer dragonfly, found from New Brunswick, Canada as far south as Texas and Florida....
  
  – Painted Skimmer
• Libellula vibrans
  Great Blue Skimmer
  The Great Blue Skimmer is a dragonfly of the skimmer family.With a total length of 50 to 63 mm, it is one of the largest skimmers....
  
  – Great Blue Skimmer

Ladona

• Ladona deplanata – Blue Corporal
• Ladona exusta – White Corporal
• Ladona julia
  Chalk-fronted Corporal
  The Chalk-fronted Corporal is a skimmer dragonfly found in the northern United States and southern Canada.Juveniles of both sexes are light reddish brown, with white shoulder stripes and a black stripe down the middle of the abdomen...
  
  – Chalk-fronted Corporal

Plathemis

• Plathemis lydia
  Common Whitetail
  The Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer is a common dragonfly across much of North America, with a striking and unusual appearance. The male's chunky white body , combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look...
  
  – Common Whitetail
• Plathemis subornata – Desert Whitetail