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Sprites

 

genus: Nehalennia

Sprites

This is a genus consisting of four species known to North America.  species of this genera are exceptionally small and delicate looking.  They have  metallic green to black bodies with green, blue, yellow and black markings on their dorsal thorax and abdomens.  Unlike other damsels they lack shoulder stripes and postocular spots. 

Females look similar in appearance to males and differentiating between the two can sometimes be challenging.  The pattern of blue on the female abdomen along with examining the terminal appendages may be helpful to identification.

Sprites are difficult to find due to their small size and the fact that they fly low in and out of dense vegetation, usually perching on sedges and other grasses.  Sometimes only an experienced eye can spot these little guys.

 

They can frequently be observed around still water habitats such as bogs, marshes and ponds.

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