Powdered Dancer

Argia moesta

Summary 5

The powdered dancer (Argia moesta) is a damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to North America. It may be seen year-round in at least some of its range. Immature males are typically tan or brown, and they turn bluish to white as they mature. Older males are typically white, with a blue tip at the end of the abdomen. Females come in brown or blue forms. When the female is blue, it looks very similar to the blue-fronted dancer. To differentiate the two species, look at the number of cells below the stigma. The powder dancer has 2 cells, while the blue-fronted dancer has 1.
Females will typically lay their eggs in shallow, dead or live aquatic plant tissue. The male guards her as she lays her eggs.

Distribution 6

This species is found all across the United States, except for the northern west and midwest. The species can also be found in Canadian regions north of the Great Lakes.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/52450054@N04/25012870557/
  2. (c) J. N. Stuart, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/21786539@N03/4733316758
  3. (c) Greg Lasley, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Greg Lasley
  4. (c) Jerry Oldenettel, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/7457894@N04/3097494491
  5. Adapted by Laura Dixson from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argia_moesta
  6. (c) Laura Dixson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

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