Rank Species | Suborder Zygoptera Genus Lestes Higher classification Lestes | |
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Similar Lestes, Damselfly, Odonate, Lestes rectangularis, Elegant spreadwing | ||
Sweetflag spreadwing lestidae lestes forcepatus male on leaf
The sweetflag spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus) is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is native to North America, especially eastern parts of Canada and the United States.
Contents
Identification
This is a medium-sized spreadwing, measuring about 38 to 50 millimeters in length. The male has a dark or black thorax with tan or bluish sides and with pale stripes across the shoulders. The abdomen is dark with a light gray tip. The body is pruinescent, especially in older specimens. The female is thicker in build with a dark to black body. Both sexes may have a light brown spot on the underside of the thorax.
This species is difficult to distinguish from the common spreadwing (L. disjunctus).
Biology
This species lives near ponds, marshes, and slow-running streams.
