spangled skimmer

spangled skimmer (Libellula cyanea) [female] [male]
Photos © Mary Kay Rubey

FEATURES
The spangled skimmer grows up to two inches long, has large eyes, and a thick, hairy, thorax. All four of their wings have a pair of small, black, and white spots. Males have dark eyes on a shiny face, a blue body that become lighter towards the tail. Females have brown eyes on a tan face and a brown body. They have two, light yellow stripes each side of the thorax and a single, light-yellow stripe on the back of the thorax that divides into two, darkening yellow stripes down the abdomen. 

BEHAVIORS
The spangled skimmer is seen flying in the Eastern half of Illinois and along the Mississippi River to the Iowa border from June to July. They mate above silty lakes and ponds but are often seen in open woods and roadside meadows. Males look for mates by cruising along shore and perching on aquatic plants. Mating is brief and in flight.

​Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Libellulidae