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Species Tramea lacerata - Black Saddlebags

Black Saddlebags - Tramea lacerata - male Black Saddlebags - Tramea lacerata - male Black Saddlebags - Tramea lacerata Tramea lacerata Copulating - Tramea lacerata - male - female black saddlebags? - Tramea lacerata Black saddlebags - Tramea lacerata - female Black Saddlebags - Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, NY - Tramea lacerata Tramea - Tramea lacerata
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 Tramea (Saddlebags)
Species lacerata (Black Saddlebags)
Size
Length 4.7-5.5 cm
Identification
Large dark "saddlebags" on hindwings distinctive. Could be confused with Carolina or Red Saddlebags in poor light. Flies constantly, often gliding, perches infrequently.
Range
Includes most of North America, absent from upper midwest.
Habitat
Near ponds, other bodies of water. Widespread in migration.
Season
Spring into fall in temperate areas, all year in subtropics.
Food
Predatory on flying insects
Life Cycle
Breeds in fish-free temporary or permanent ponds, ditches. (See account for genus Tramea on oviposition.) Partially migratory--some move north to breed and the next generation flies south. May migrate in swarms.
Remarks
Seldom perches.
Print References
Dunkle, p. 217, plate 40 (1)
Dunkle (2)
Nikula (3)
Works Cited
1.Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America
Sidney W. Dunkle. 2000. Oxford Press.
2.Dragonflies of the Florida Peninsula, Bermuda, and the Bahamas
Sidney W. Dunkle. 1989. Scientific Publishers.
3.Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies
Donald and Lillian Stokes. 2002. Little, Brown and Company.