# 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.

- **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.

## About

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.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/b971b961-a67f-4791-89c1-6d5856a90b93
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/59774
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachydiplax longipennis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/403764701/medium.jpeg (Michael J. Papay, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

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