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

Genus Erythemis - Pondhawks

Representative Images

Eastern Pondhawk - Female - Erythemis simplicicollis - female Eastern Pondhawk - Erythemis simplicicollis - male Eastern Pondhawk - Erythemis simplicicollis - male Green and Black Dragonfly - Erythemis simplicicollis - female Green dragonfly - Erythemis collocata - female Dragonfly, green on grass - Erythemis simplicicollis Erythemis simplicicollis, adult male - Erythemis simplicicollis - male Dragonfly - Erythemis plebeja - female

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 Erythemis (Pondhawks)

Explanation of Names

Author of genus is Hagen, 1861. From eryth- (?), Greek, meaning red, 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.

Numbers

Odonata of North America lists 7 species, 6 of which have been documented in the US.
Dunkle, p. 211, lists 5 species. (1)

Works Cited

1.Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America
Sidney W. Dunkle. 2000. Oxford Press.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Tyler Hedlund
Last updated 30 October, 2024 - 2:29pm

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