FRAGILE FORKTAIL Ischnura posita

DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF WEST VIRGINIA SPECIES PAGE

Large numbers of Fragile Forktails may be seen at almost every pond and marsh in West Virginia. They are easy to miss, measuring only one inch in length, and flying only very slowly in and out of the weeds.

There are two key traits to look for in identifying this species. One is the presence of a broken, light-colored shoulder stripe that looks like an exclamation point. The other trait is the lack of a blue or whitish tip to the abdomen.

The exclamation point is present in both sexes, but in the case of the male the exclamation point is green, while on females it may be blue, tan, or gray. The dark abdomen tip is present in both sexes, but is a key identifying characteristic only in the male.

As female Fragile Forktails get older, they become harder to identify to species. They become pruinose (covered with a bluish waxy substance) so that their earlier coloration is no longer visible.

Above: The Female Fragile Forktail. A portrait of the male Fragile Forktail is at the very top of this page.

Side view of the head and thorax of the Fragile Forktail. A male is pictured above, while two color variants of the female are pictured below. The female's "exclamation point" may be tan, gray, or blue.

Two photographs showing the face of Fragile Forktails. A male is pictured above, and a female below. Note the difference in eye color of the male and female.

Dorsal view of the male Fragile Forktail. The eyespots are large and somewhat round, colored green in the males and bluish in females.

All images on this page are © Stephen Cresswell.

This site is sponsored by Stephen Cresswell Photography.