widow skimmer

Libellula luctuosa

Member of king skimmers (genus Libellula)
skimmers (family Libellulidae)
dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera)
dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata)
insects (class Insecta)
hexapods (subphylum Hexapoda)
arthropods (phylum Arthropoda)
animals (kingdom Animalia)

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• mature males have a large basal area of brown on each of the four wings, and each wing also has a whitish area roughly at the middle
• their brown bodies become increasingly pruinose (whitish) as they get older.
• females and immature males have the same brown wing bands as the mature males, but not the whitish areas
• wings usually have a brown tip
• a dorsal view of the abdomen shows a brown band at center with a yellow stripe running along each side

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Chris’s observations: 1 (research grade)

Locations:

• Loch Lomond Recreation Area, Santa Cruz

Months:

• Jun.: 1

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Taxon info: iNaturalist – BugGuide

Bay Area species: iNaturalist