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Ryan Brady | profile | all galleries >> Dragonflies 2008 >> Emeralds (Family Corduliidae) >> Racket-tailed Emerald (Dorocordulia libera) tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Racket-tailed Emerald (Dorocordulia libera)

A small and fairly common emerald in Wisconsin. Like the similar American Emerald, it has a dark brown thorax with metallic green luster and NO yellow side stripes, and no pale spots on the dark abdomen. The smaller Racket-tailed, however, has (1) NO cross-vein in the forewing triangle, (2) a wide, flattened "club," and (3) a wider, incomplete yellow ring at the base of the abdomen between segments 2 and 3. Male Racket-taileds also lack the divergent claspers of the American. If anyone knows the sexes for the individuals below, please let me know.
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera)
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera) - male
Racket-tailed Emerald (D. libera) - male