Species Ischnura cervula - Pacific Forktail

First described in 1876 by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps as Ischnura cervula

Probably a diminutive of Latin cervus- "(red) deer"

23-30 mm

abdomen blue only on segments 8 & 9 -- blue on top and bottom touch along sides. Four tiny blue dots on top of thorax.

teneral:

See California Dragonflies and Damselflies or Dennis Paulson (1)

Andromorphic females will have a blue 8th abdominal segment only, with no blue, or only blue spots, on 9th segment; males have 8th & 9th segments blue.

teneral:

Young female - orange:

Pink bodied females with various amounts of blue:

Blue on 8 with spots on 9:

Blue on 8, none on 9:

patchy blue on 8:

Blue females:

Mature females:

Western half of the US

Marshy edges of lakes, ponds, and slow streams

April through October

Ischnura damula is very similar and we may not be able to separate them in areas where their ranges overlap. But I. damula does not range into southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, and western Wyoming. So all similar images in those areas can be assumed to be Ischnura cervula.

Sonic.net

Monterey Odonata; Pacific Forktail

Bulletins de l'Académie royale ... de Belgique, ser.2, v.41, p.262    Selys' original description of the species (in French).