blue-ringed dancer

blue-ringed dancer (Argia sedula) [male]
Photo © Mary Kay Rubey

FEATURES
The blue-ringed dancer is a common, small damselfly. Males have blue eyes with small, separate spots behind the eyes. Thorax has wide black stripes in the middle and sides, with blue lower sides. The male abdomen is mostly black with blue rings around each segment and a blue tip of the tail. Paired males have a dull blue-grey thorax and spots behind the eyes. This is also typical of individuals found in cooler climates. Females have brown eyes, a pale head, light brown body color with dull, faint markings on the thorax and varying dark brown spots on the upper abdomen. Mature females appear to have pale green-blue spots at the bases of amber-tinted wings.

BEHAVIOR
Males perch on nearby vegetation, and occasionally rocks, beside streams. Females linger near water in open areas. Pairs mate during the span of four days to two weeks, laying eggs in stems and floating plant matter or debris. They like streams and rivers of varying sizes. They are most common on vegetated shorelines but also found in rocky, open areas. They tolerate a wide variety of habitats and this may contribute to the abundance and wide range of the species. They are found just inside the eastern border of Illinois, especially in and around Chicago. They range northeast to parts of New England, south to Florida, even into Mexico, and west to California.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Coenagrionidae