Species Pachydiplax longipennis - Blue Dasher

Blue Pirate (according to Needham, Westfall, and May)

Swift Long-winged Skimmer (apparently labeled as such in the Audubon Field Guide)

The only Nearctic species in the genus.

Identification

A small blue dragonfly with a white face, a black tip to the abdomen, and a black-and-yellow-striped thorax. Females are recognized by the narrow yellow parallel stripes on the abdomen. Both sexes have an amber patch at the base of each hindwing. Males develop a sky-blue (or Carolina-blue) abdomen when they approach maturity.



[description by Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey]



California specimens turn blue not just over the abdomen (hiding the dark tip), but the thorax as well, and often have no amber on the wings at all.







Males:



Juvenile males show the female coloration before they turn blue.







"tweens" - As they mature the abdomen becomes blue except for yellow that remains on the sides of the first few abdominal segments and the black tip on the end of the abdomen. The eyes at this stage are still juvenile red/grey.







Fully mature males are powdery blue with jade-green eyes.







The male secondary genitalia under abdominal segment 2 are evident:







While the male claspers at the end of the abdomen are clearly visible here.







Females:



- paired yellow stripes on the dorsal side of the first 8 abdominal segments, but not on segments 9 and 10. The end of the abdomen has a yellowish-white tuft in the center. Their eyes retain the half red/brown, half blue/gray color of immatures, though an occasional green-eyed female can be seen.







Females are also reported to turn blue with age, but more slowly than males. Older females get somewhat bluish, but never, it seems, quite like the males. See

