Damselfly with red visor, Santa Cruz, CA - Ischnura cervula - BugGuide.Net

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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) » Damselflies (Zygoptera) » Narrow-winged Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) » Forktails (Ischnura) » Pacific Forktail (Ischnura cervula)

Photo#137999

Copyright © 2007 Arthur Scott Macmillan

Damselfly with red visor, Santa Cruz, CA - Ischnura cervula -

Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, California, USA
August 18, 2007

There is definite red color on the head. The stigma are very pale if not white. The wings are very clear held along the length of the abdomen most of the time, but also spread for a short time. The abdomen is dark except the very symmetric markings at the end.

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Damselfly with red visor, Santa Cruz, CA - Ischnura cervula - female

Damselfly with red visor, Santa Cruz, CA - Ischnura cervula - female

Damselfly with red visor, Santa Cruz, CA - Ischnura cervula - female

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Contributed by Arthur Scott Macmillan on 19 August, 2007 - 6:15pm
Last updated 24 November, 2007 - 7:24pm

Pacific Forktail

This is a teneral female Pacific Forktail (Ischnura cervula). Check out some comparison shots in the guide page for this species.

… Nick Block, 19 August, 2007 - 11:01pm

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I agree with young female Pacific Forktail

I had been considering some more exotic alternatives, among them, the black fronted forktail, and even the San Francisco Forktail. I guess I am stuck with another Pacific Forktail though. Well, maybe next time...

… Arthur Scott Macmillan, 20 August, 2007 - 2:17am

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Similar

to Ischnura denticollis, Black-fronted Forktail. Except for exactly matching the tail, the above species is close.

… Bob Beatson, 19 August, 2007 - 9:58pm

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I wish this was a black fronted forktail as it would be...

...a new species for me. Seeing several pictures of immature Pacific Forktails seem to show all of main features. In addition to the red color color and the whitish stigma, some had the slightly violet color on the thorax and the same sort of color on at the end of the terminal appendage. There are also small single spots on the femurs like what are barely visible in my pictures.

I would like to think that I will now recognize a Pacific Forktail, an any of its variations, but that may just be wishful thinking.

… Arthur Scott Macmillan, 20 August, 2007 - 2:09am

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