Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Tel-eh-BAY-sis
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists two Nearctic species. Westfall and May
(1) list seven species; their geographic coverage includes the Greater Antilles and the northern states of Mexico plus all of the United States and Canada.
There are 3 species present in the US
Identification
Males have bright red abdomens with essentially no black markings. The lateral surfaces of the thorax have no stripes, but typically there are black marks on the dorsal surface of the thorax.
Range
None found in Canada. Three species reach the United States. Two species, T. byersi and T. salvum, are very similar and are often identified based on range. T. byersi is a species of the southeastern United States and T. salvum is southwestern. Note that T. salvum is sometimes listed as T. salva. T. digiticollis is only known from Hidalgo and Cameron counties in south Texas.
Habitat
Ponds, lakes, or sluggish streams. These damselflies prefer to perch on floating plants, especially members of the Duckweed family.
See Also
If you have a small red damselfly from the southeastern U.S., you may want to compare with Amphiagrion saucium:
