Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) » Dragonflies (Anisoptera) » Skimmers (Libellulidae) » Setwings (Dythemis)

Genus Dythemis - Setwings

Black Setwing (Dythemis nigrescens) - Dythemis nigrescens - male

(not)Slaty Skimmer - Dythemis nigrescens - male

May I have an ID please? - Dythemis velox

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Odonata (Dragonflies and Damselflies)

Suborder Anisoptera (Dragonflies)

Family Libellulidae (Skimmers)

Genus Dythemis (Setwings)

Explanation of Names

Author is Hagen, 1861. From dy- (meaning two) plus the ubiquitous suffix -themis. This is from Greek, first used by Hagen in 1861, and it means "what has been established", i.e., rule, or law. Themis was also a goddess of order and justice. However, it is possible the suffix was also simply based on the Greek suffixes -hemis (half), or -emis. See this Odonata list post by KD Dijkstra.

Numbers

The Odonata of North America lists 4 species.

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 9 March, 2004 - 4:39pm
Additional contributions by cotinis
Last updated 5 July, 2007 - 5:31am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: