Eight-spotted skimmer
Species of dragonfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The eight-spotted skimmer (Libellula forensis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family.
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| Eight-spotted skimmer | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Libellula |
| Species: | L. forensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Libellula forensis Hagen, 1861 [2] | |
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| Range of L. forensis [3] | |
Description
This dragonfly features the standard skimmer body form, and earns its name from the eight black markings on the wings. It is similar to the twelve-spotted skimmer, but lacks the black markings on the wing tips of that species. Males are additionally adorned with a total of eight opaque white spots. It can be found west of the Rocky Mountains near muddy bottomed ponds and lakes.[4] East of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, some females may also have white spots, making them the only female dragonflies in North America with white spots on the wings.[5] The total length is 44 to 50 mm. Flight season is April through October.[4][5]
