# Citrine Forktail

*Ischnura hastata*

In the Azores, this species reproduces entirely through parthenogenesis (virgin birth), with populations consisting solely of females.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Coenagrionidae › Ischnura
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Densely vegetated margins of ponds, marshes, fens, and slow-moving streams.
- **Diet:** Small soft-bodied insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and aphids.
- **Range:** North America, Central America, South America, Caribbean, Azores
- **Size:** 20 to 27 mm in length, with a wingspan of approximately 30 mm.
- **Lifespan:** 1 to 2 months as an adult; up to 1 year including the aquatic nymph stage.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat loss through wetland drainage, water pollution, and chemical pesticide runoff.
- **Safe to approach?:** Completely harmless to humans. These fragile insects do not bite or sting. Observe them closely as they perch on shoreline vegetation; avoid touching them to prevent damage to their delicate wings.

## About

The citrine forktail ( Ischnura hastata ) is a damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/ab5c3999-8683-43ad-b3c6-0259fbebbd15
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/103494
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischnura hastata
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/3921613/medium.jpg (rasamoto, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.