Description:
Males: Dark red eyes and brigth red face. Thorax reddish. Juvenil tan or yellow face and thorax. Hindwing base with large reddish-brown patch and contrasting red venes; forewing with similar but smaller patch. Underlying pattern of abdomen complex, like that of female and juvenile male, but on mature male S1-7 almost unmarked red, S8-10 more uniformly dark. Terminal appendages red.
Females: Reddish eyes and yellow or tan face and thorax. Shoulder stripes only slightly darker. Wing patches as in male, but smaller and amber over yellow veins. S1-3 largely pale. On S4-7 each segment black with dorsolateral pair of yellow streaks, tapering apically, the streaks becoming progressively shorter and squarer rearwards, S8-10 black. Terminal appendages pale (Abbott, 2015).
Similar Species: Mature males are disctintive, with overall redish color and a large hindwing spot. Females and juveniles are more likely to be confused with other dragonlets, but in general can be separated by their relatively larger hindwings spots and smaller forewing spots. Red-faced and Plateau Dragonlets hace mor uniformly pale abdomens and much less colors in the hindwings. The Little Blue Dragonlet is smaller and lacks colors in the hindwings.
Habitat: Shallow marshy ponds with sedges and grasses.
Natural History: Males can be seen perching low on grass stems over and around water. They defend small terriotries, sometime all day, but are most frequently encountered around the water in the morning. Females lay eggs in dense vegetation.
Distribution: USA: A single recent occurrence in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas; Mexico to Ecuador and the Guyanas and it has been reported for Cuba, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
Source:
Abbott, J. C. 2015. Dragonflies of Texas: A Field Guide. University of Texas Press, 466 pp
Trapero-Quintana, A. D. y B. Reyes-Tur. 2008. Description of the last instar larva of Erythrodiplax fervida (Erichson, 1848) (Anisoptera: Libellulidae), with notes on the biology of the species. Zootaxa 1688: 66-68.
Edited by Juan Cruzado (03/13/2017)
