Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
credula; defixa; iners; tuberculata.
Size
males 27.5-36.5 mm; females 27-35 mm
Identification
The completely blue abdominal segment 8 (A8) in males appears to be diagnostic. Male-like female with blue (A8) is also diagnostic. The two other female forms are not readily separable from other species. The females do have a strong vulvar spine that is not present in all Ischnura females
Green-form Male-like Adult Females:
Range
The most widespread species of Ischnura in the New World. Most of the USA, plus Mexico, Antilles, south to Chile and Hawaii.
Habitat
Larvae in most wetland habitats, but only in coastal plain in ne USA.
Season
Spring to Fall; all year in Florida
Food
Predaceous as larvae and adults
Remarks
A polymorphic species. Males with either bright green thorax or a bluish thorax. Females with 3 forms: i) orange, ii) olive, or iii) male-like.
Note that the orange and olive females have all the dorsal surfaces of abdominal segments 3-10 (A3-A10) dark, whereas the male-like female has A8 completely blue and A9 mostly blue.
See Also
In Rambur's Forktail the antehumeral stripe is narrow, wide in Desert Forktail.
In Rambur's the black markings on the dorsal side of the abdominal segments are straight-edged on the sides of the segments.
In the Desert the distal ends of the black markings on the abdominal segments invade the ventral orange color. This causes the black markings to look torpedo shaped in a dorsal view and to show a distal indentation in a lateral view.
In Rambur's, abdominal segment 8 is completely blue while only the bottom of 9 is blue, though on pg. 111 of D&D of the West, Paulson states in his Rambur's Forktail account that some populations at the far western edge of the U.S. range have all of S9 blue.
In the Desert, abdominal segments 8 and 9 are completely blue.
… William Edwards, 16 August, 2009
Rambur's:
Desert:
