Sympetrum ambiguum
Encyclopedia
The Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum) is a dragonfly
of the family Libellulidae
.
, such as Sympetrum vicinum
.
This small dragonfly reaches a maximum total length of 38 mm. The thorax is grayish or olive brown. Mature males have a bright red abdomen. In females and juveniles it remains brown. Both genders have six black rings on the abdomen.
They can be found from summer through fall on the eastern side of North America close to sources of water.
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...
of 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...
.
Description
The aqua blue face of the Blue-faced Meadowhawk may not be obvious to a casual observer, but is an important field mark distinguishing it from similar looking Meadowhawks in the genus SympetrumSympetrum
Sympetrum is a genus of small to medium sized skimmer dragonflies, known as darters in the UK and as meadowhawks in the North America...
, such as Sympetrum vicinum
Sympetrum vicinum
The Yellow-legged Meadowhawk or Autumn Meadowhawk or is a member of the Libellulidae family and grows to 26–35 mm long.-Naiad:This is a small naiad, with a length of . It is mottled green and brown in color...
.
This small dragonfly reaches a maximum total length of 38 mm. The thorax is grayish or olive brown. Mature males have a bright red abdomen. In females and juveniles it remains brown. Both genders have six black rings on the abdomen.
They can be found from summer through fall on the eastern side of North America close to sources of water.