Libellula needhami Westfall, 1943
Needham's Skimmer
Florida native
Very similar in appearance to golden-winged skimmer, Needham's skimmer ranges mostly though the coastal states from Texas to Maine.
These two species differ in the coloration on the side of the thorax.
In L. auripennis the line between the light and dark colors is basically vertical, following the break in the pieces of the thorax. In L. needhami the light color bleeds forward into the lower front part of the thorax. Also, the leading edge of the wings on Needham's skimmer is more distinctive and the rest of the wing is clearer than in the golden-winged skimmer.
The species is named for James G. Needham (1868-1957), head of the Department of Entomology at Cornell University & author of "A Handbook of the Dragonflies of North America" (1929).
Libellula needhami is a member of the Libellulidae - Skimmers family.
Other species of the Libellula genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Libellula auripennis - GOLDEN-WINGED SKIMMER
Libellula axilena - BAR-WINGED SKIMMER
Libellula incesta - SLATY SKIMMER
Libellula vibrans - GREAT BLUE SKIMMER
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net info page for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 29, 2024