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Photo#138113
Libellula auripennis or Libellula needhami? - Libellula needhami - male

Libellula auripennis or Libellula needhami? - Libellula needhami - Male
Delaware River Shore, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA
August 17, 2007
Size: ~2 in
Libellula auripennis or Libellula needhami?

This was taken near the Delaware River in Philadelphia, PA. Either would be a good find for the state, but L. needhami is a state historic. I'm leaning towards L. needhami because of the two-tone stigma, but would like second opinions.

Probably Needham's
This is certainly suggestive of Needham's Skimmer, based on the apparent color change of the costal vein at the nodus. I'm not sure that this mark isn't an artifact of the lighting conditons, though. If you send me a high-res shot of this bug, I might be able to ID it for sure.

 
Definitely Needham's
Andrew sent me a high-res shot that clearly shows the change in costal vein color at the nodus. Additionally, you can clearly see 4 paranal cells at the base of the anal loop in the hindwing. These marks together are definitely good for separating this bug from a Golden-winged Skimmer. Check out these excellent plates for more info: http://public.fotki.com/gstrick3/misc-images-intende/auripennisneedhami2.html

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