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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) » Dragonflies (Anisoptera) » Common Skimmers (Libellulidae) » Nannothemis » Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella)

Species Nannothemis bella - Elfin Skimmer

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Life Cycle · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Elfin Skimmer - Nannothemis bella - male Elfin Skimmer - Nannothemis bella - female Elfin Skimmer - Nannothemis bella - male Elfin Skimmer - Nannothemis bella - female Small sex - Nannothemis bella - male - female Elfin Skimmer Nanothemis bella - Nannothemis bella - male Elfin Skimmer Nanothemis bella - Nannothemis bella - female Elfin Skimmer side view - Nannothemis bella - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)
Suborder Anisoptera (Dragonflies)
Family Libellulidae (Common Skimmers)
Genus Nannothemis
Species bella (Elfin Skimmer)
Explanation of Names
Author of species (as Nannophya bella) is Uhler, 1857. (Publication is Contributions to the Neuropterology of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 1857:87-88.) Species name bella is Latin for beautiful.
Size
20 mm length
Identification
Tiny. Male has pale blue body with white on face, clubbed abdomen. Female has banded pattern, likely Batesian mimic of wasp.
Range
Southern Canada, northern tier of United States--Wisconsin east to New England, south in Appalachians and to Georgia, Alabama.
Habitat
Bogs and fens.
Season
March-September in much of range, May-August in north (Canada).
Life Cycle
Oviposits in tandem.
See Also
Erythrodiplax minuscula - Little Blue Dragonlet
Print References
Dunkle, p. 207, plate 38 (1)
Internet References
NJ Odes
Odonata Larvae of Michigan
Works Cited
1.Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America
By Sidney W. Dunkle
Contributed by john and jane balaban on 5 February, 2005 - 8:15pm
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 5 July, 2007 - 5:07am

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