Description: Males: Eyes dark blue to violet above, bright blue below. Thorax with wide median and humeral stripes dark metallic green; fairly wide antehumeral stripes reddish-brown, narrowing abruptly at upper end. Lower sides of thorax yellowish, becoming faintly pruinose. Abdomen metallic green above, S1 and S9-10 becoming pruinose with maturity.
Female: Eyes brown. Thoracic stripes as in male. Abdomen typical of spreadwing, dark above, pale on sides and all of S10, S3-7 with prominent dark rings. At least some individuals develop blue on top of eyes and pruinosity on abdomen based and tip.
Size: Total length: 38-47 mm; Abdomen: 30-36 mm; hindwing: 21-25 mm.
Similar Species: Southern Spreadwing (Lestes australis) is very similar, but male Southerns typically have S9 and only part of S10 pruinose and paler blue eyes. Female Southerns never have pruinose segments on abdomen, but some Carolinas don’t either. Males are best told apart in the hand by examining the terminal appendages, with Carolina having shorter paraprocts.
Male Swamp Spreadwing also has reddish shoulder stripe, but upper thorax, green abdomen, and only S9-10 blue; also large size.
Habitat: Marsh; edges of ponds and lakes.
Natural History: It is common to see males perch on sedge and grass stems at water, just above surface. Pairs ovipost in same stems. The highest numbers occurs in fall.
Distribution: North Carolina, south to Florida, west to Alabama.
Source: Beaton, G. 2007. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast. The University of Georgia Press. 339 pp.
Paulson, D. 2012. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Princeton University Press. 544 pp.
Edited by Juan Cruzado (11/03/2016)
