Blue Dasher
Pachydiplax longipennis
On hot days, the Blue Dasher points its abdomen straight up toward the sun in an 'obelisk posture' to reduce the surface area exposed to heat and keep cool.
- Scientific name
- Pachydiplax longipennis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Libellulidae › Pachydiplax
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Ponds, lakes, marshes, bogs, and slow-moving streams with abundant aquatic vegetation.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; feeds on mosquitoes, flies, moths, and other small flying insects.
- Range
- United States, Southern Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda
- Size
- Body length of 25-45 mm; wingspan of 60-70 mm.
- Lifespan
- 1 to 2 years (mostly spent as an aquatic nymph; adults live only 1 to 2 months)
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Wetland degradation, water pollution, and chemical pesticide runoff that reduces prey populations.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Enjoy watching their incredible aerobatic flights from any distance. They may occasionally land on humans to rest; do not swat them. If handled roughly, they may attempt to pinch with their mandibles, which rarely breaks the skin, but if bitten, simply wash the area with soap and water.
The blue dasher ( Pachydiplax longipennis ) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. It is the only species in the genus Pachydiplax . It is very common and widely distributed through North America and into the Bahamas.
Photo: Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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