Western Odonata Scans in Life

Images added 8 June 2004; text revised January 2007

These dragonflies are being scanned as they are collected, beginning 1997. An attempt is being made to acquire representatives of all Northwest species and their individual variation (primarily sex and age). All images are scanned on a Hewlett Packard ScanJet 4C/T with DeskScan II into Adobe PhotoShop 3.0 (upgraded to 5.5 in 2000) and saved as JPEG images at 300 dpi. Larger dragonflies are usually at 200-250%, damselflies at 400-500%, but there is much variation. All photographs copyrighted by Dennis Paulson, except those scanned by Kathy Biggs copyrighted by her.

I greatly appreciate the folks at the web site Digital Dragonflies for stimulating this project and for furnishing the technical advice on how to make it work. That site has abundant and beautiful scanned images of Odonata from central Texas.

Scanner's nightmare

Calopterygidae

Calopteryx aequabilis, River Jewelwing

• male and female
• male
• immature male
  

Lestidae

Archilestes californicus, California Spreadwing

• male and female

Archilestes grandis, Great Spreadwing

• male

Lestes congener, Spotted Spreadwing

• male and female

Lestes disjunctus, Northern Spreadwing

• male
• male and female
• male variation

• Lestes dryas, Emerald Spreadwing

  • male
  • female
  • female

  Lestes forcipatus, Sweetflag Spreadwing

  • comparison with Lestes disjunctus
  • comparison with Lestes disjunctus
  • females

  Lestes stultus, Black Spreadwing

  • male and female

  Lestes unguiculatus, Lyre-tipped Spreadwing

  • male and female
  • female

  The four common spreadwings (Lestes) in the Pacific Northwest

  • four spreadwings
    

  Coenagrionidae

  Amphiagrion abbreviatum, Western Red Damsel

  • male and female

  Argia alberta, Paiute Dancer

  • male and female
  • immature male

  Argia emma, Emma's Dancer

  • male and females

  Argia fumipennis, Variable Dancer

  • male A. f. violacea

  Argia lugens, Sooty Dancer

  • male

  Argia vivida, Vivid Dancer

  • male and females

  Coenagrion interrogatum, Subarctic Bluet

  • male and female

  Coenagrion resolutum, Taiga Bluet

  • male
  • andromorph female
  • heteromorph female

  Enallagma anna, River Bluet

  • male and female

• Enallagma annexum, Northern Bluet

  • male and female
  • male and females

• Enallagma boreale, Boreal Bluet

  • male and female

  Enallagma carunculatum, Tule Bluet

  • male and female
  • females
  • female
  • male

  Enallagma clausum, Alkali Bluet

  • males and female

  Enallagma hageni, Hagen's Bluet

  • male

  Ischnura cervula, Pacific Forktail

  • male and females
  • male and females
  • females
  • female
  • female

  Ischnura damula, Plains Forktail

  • male and females

  Ischnura denticollis, Black-fronted Forktail

  • male and immature female

  Ischnura erratica, Swift Forktail

  • male
  • male and female
  • immature female

  Ischnura gemina, San Francisco Forktail

  • male and female

  Ischnura perparva, Western Forktail

  • male
  • female
  • male and females

  Ischnura verticalis, Eastern Forktail

  • male and females

  Nehalennia irene, Sedge Sprite

  • male
  • female

  Telebasis salva, Desert Firetail

  • male

  Zoniagrion exclamationis, Exclamation Damsel

  • male

  Petaluridae

  Tanypteryx hageni, Black Petaltail

  • male
  • male
  • female

  Aeshnidae

  Aeshna canadensis, Canada Darner

  • male
  • andromorph female
  • heteromorph female

  Aeshna constricta, Lance-tipped Darner

  • male
  • heteromorph female

  Aeshna eremita, Lake Darner

  • male

  Aeshna interrupta, Variable Darner

  • striped male
  • spotted male
  • variation in thoracic markings of males from one locality
  • heteromorph female
  • heteromorph female
  • andromorph female

  Aeshna juncea, Sedge Darner

  • male
  • male
  • male
  • heteromorph female
  • heteromorph female

  Aeshna palmata, Paddle-tailed Darner

  • male
  • heteromorph female
  • andromorph female

  Aeshna septentrionalis, Azure Darner

  • male

  Aeshna sitchensis, Zigzag Darner

  • male
  • female

  Aeshna subarctica, Subarctic Darner

  • male
  • female

  Aeshna tuberculifera, Black-tipped Darner

  • male
  • female
  • female

  Aeshna umbrosa, Shadow Darner

  • male (typical "A. u. occidentalis" with relatively large blue abdominal spots)
  • male (typical "A. u. umbrosa" with small green abdominal spots but nowhere near the range of that subspecies!)
  • heteromorph female
  • heteromorph female
  • andromorph female

  Aeshna walkeri, Walker's Darner

  • male

  Anax junius, Common Green Darner

  • male
  • old male
  • female
  • one-day old female

  Anax walsinghami, Giant Darner

  • male

  Rhionaeschna californica, California Darner

  • male
  • male
  • andromorph female
  • heteromorph female

  Rhionaeschna multicolor, Blue-eyed Darner

  • male
  • male
  • immature male
  • heteromorph female
  • andromorph female

  Gomphidae

  Arigomphus cornutus, Horned Clubtail

  • male
  • female

  Erpetogomphus compositus, White-belted Ringtail

  • male
  • female

  Gomphus graslinellus, Pronghorn Clubtail

  • male

  Gomphus kurilis, Pacific Clubtail

  • male
  • female

  Gomphus lynnae, Columbia Clubtail

  • male
  • female

  Octogomphus specularis, Grappletail

  • male and female

  Ophiogomphus morrisoni, Great Basin Snaketail

  • male

  Ophiogomphus occidentis, Sinuous Snaketail

  • male
  • female

  Ophiogomphus severus, Pale Snaketail

  • male
  • male
  • female

  Stylurus olivaceus, Olive Clubtail

  • male
  • male
  • female
  • female

  Cordulegastridae

  Cordulegaster dorsalis, Pacific Spiketail

  • male

  Macromiidae

  Macromia magnifica, Western River Cruiser

  • male

  Corduliidae

  Cordulia shurtleffii, American Emerald

  • male
  • male
  • female

  Epitheca canis, Beaverpond Baskettail

  • male

  Epitheca spinigera, Spiny Baskettail

  • female
  • immature male
  • immature female

  Somatochlora albicincta, Ringed Emerald

  • male
  • female

  Somatochlora cingulata, Lake Emerald

  • male
  • female

  Somatochlora franklini, Delicate Emerald

  • male

  Somatochlora minor, Ocellated Emerald

  • male

  Somatochlora semicircularis, Mountain Emerald

  • male
  • female
  • female

  Somatochlora septentrionalis, Muskeg Emerald

  • male

  Somatochlora walshii, Brush-tipped Emerald

  • male

  Somatochlora whitehousei, Whitehouse's Emerald

  • male
  • female

  Libellulidae

  Erythemis collocata, Western Pondhawk

  • male
  • female
  • immature female

  Ladona julia, Chalk-fronted Corporal

  • male
  • male
  • female
  • old male specimen

  Leucorrhinia glacialis, Crimson-ringed Whiteface

  • male
  • female

  Leucorrhinia hudsonica, Hudsonian Whiteface

  • male
  • male
  • female
  • female
  • andromorph female

  Leucorrhinia intacta, Dot-tailed Whiteface

  • male
  • male
  • male
  • female
  • female
  • immature female

  Leucorrhinia proxima, Belted Whiteface

  • male

  Libellula comanche, Comanche Skimmer

  • male
  • female

  Libellula composita, Bleached Skimmer

  • male
  • female

  Libellula forensis, Eight-spotted Skimmer

  Notice the geographic variation shown here. Western Washington (King County) individuals of this species are much less heavily marked with pruinosity than those from east of the Cascades (Yakima and Kittitas counties). Note the eggs under the abdomen tip of the King County female.

  • male
  • male
  • female
  • female

  Comparison between Libellula forensis and Libellula pulchella

  • males

  Libellula luctuosa, Widow Skimmer

  • male
  • female

  Libellula nodisticta, Hoary Skimmer

  • male
  • female

  Libellula pulchella, Twelve-spotted Skimmer

  • male
  • old male
  • female

  Libellula quadrimaculata, Four-spotted Skimmer

  • male
  • male
  • female

  Pachydiplax longipennis, Blue Dasher

  • male
  • female
  • female

  Pantala hymenaea, Spot-winged Glider

  • male

  Plathemis lydia, Common Whitetail

  • male
  • immature female
  • female

  Plathemis subornata, Desert Whitetail

  • male
  • female

  Sympetrum corruptum, Variegated Meadowhawk

  • male
  • teneral male
  • immature female

  Sympetrum costiferum, Saffron-winged Meadowhawk

  • male
  • male
  • female
  • teneral male

  Sympetrum danae, Black Meadowhawk

  • male
  • immature male
  • female

  Sympetrum illotum, Cardinal Meadowhawk

  • male
  • male
  • male
  • female
  • immature male

  Sympetrum internum, Cherry-faced Meadowhawk

  • male
  • male
  • immature male
  • female

  Sympetrum madidum, Red-veined Meadowhawk

  • male
  • immature female

  Sympetrum obtrusum, White-faced Meadowhawk

  • male and female

  Sympetrum occidentale, Western Meadowhawk

  Two subspecies are illustrated here. The first male and female are S. o. occidentale from Washington, while the second male, with more vivid wing markings, is S. o. fasciatum from Nebraska.

  • male S. o. occidentale
  • female S. o. occidentale
  • immature male S. o. fasciatum

  Sympetrum pallipes, Striped Meadowhawk

  Notice the geographic variation shown here. Individuals of this species from wetter, cooler regions (Kittitas County) are more heavily marked with black than those from east of the Cascades (Okanogan and Douglas counties).

  • immature male
  • immature male
  • immature male
  • female
  • female

  Sympetrum rubicundulum, Ruby Meadowhawk

  These individuals, with conspicuous wing markings, are typical of those from the western part of the range. In the East, the wings are clear.

  • male
  • female

  Sympetrum vicinum, Autumn Meadowhawk

  • male
  • immature male
  • female

  Tramea lacerata, Black Saddlebags

  • male