Lestes Dryas
(Emerald Spreadwing)
Description:
Naiad-
This is a long naiad a bit over
1 inch (27 to 28 mm) long. It has the typical slender damselfly shape. The color
is medium to dark brown.
Adult-
This is a large damselfly 1 ¼ to 1
¾ inches (30 to 41 mm) long. The build is slender with short wings in proportion
to the length of the abdomen. This damselfly is a uniform
dark iridescent green on the upper surfaces of both the thorax and abdomen.
Range:
This damselfly has an extremely
extensive range. It is found around the world, from northern Europe and Asia
to Alaska and across northern Canada to Labrador and Nova Scotia, and south
to New Jersey and California. In Idaho it is found throughout the state.
Habitat:
This species is found
at ponds that are partly shaded, and it seems to prefer ponds that dry up in
the summer. The naiads do well in alkaline water.
Adult Flight Season:
June 29 to August
23
Diet:
Naiad-
Naiads eat a wide variety of aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, mayfly
larvae, and other aquatic fly larvae.
Adult-
Adults eat a wide variety of small soft-bodied flying insects, such as mosquitoes,
mayflies, flies and small moths.
Ecology:
This species is extremely
widespread, but is rarely as abundant in any given location as other members
of this genus. The naiads are very active, rapacious hunters, which makes them
vulnerable to predation by fish. As a result, they are often found in shallow
marshes and ponds that may dry up in the summer, and thus lack fish. However,
they have been observed in permanent bodies of water as well. The naiads mature
and emerge in the short period from the time the pond fills in the spring to
when it dries in the summer. Emerald Spreadwings emerge earlier than the other
members of this genus.
Reproduction:
After males and females
mate, the female Emerald Spreadwing oviposits in tandem in emergent vegetation
well above the waterline.
Conservation:
Populations
are widespread, abundant, and secure.
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Global Rank: | G5 |
State Rank: | S? |
References:
Corbet, P. S. 1999.
Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
New York, USA, 829pp.
Logan, E. R. 1967. The Odonata of Idaho. Unpublished M. S. thesis. University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA, 105 pp.
Needham, J. G. and M. J. Westfall. 1955. Dragonflies of North America. University of California Press, Berkely, California, USA, 615 pp.
Paulson, D. R. 1999. Dragonflies of Washington. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington, USA, 32 pp.
Walker, E. M. and P. S. Corbet. 1975. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska, Vol. III. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 307 pp.