Slaty Skimmer

Libellula incesta

The Slaty Skimmer is a beautiful dragonfly with shiny blue wings. It loves to fly around ponds and lakes, where it catches tiny insects to eat.

Lebensraum: Wetlands

Aussehen

The Slaty Skimmer is a medium to large dragonfly, known for its deep, powdery blue-gray body in mature males, giving it a 'slaty' appearance. Immature males and females are a dull yellowish-brown. Its wings have notably dark veins and often a faint dark streak at the base of the hindwings.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungOdonataFamilieLibellulidaeGattungLibellula

Slaty Skimmer

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Baby Slaty Skimmers live underwater for up to two years before transforming!

Dragonflies can move each of their four wings independently, allowing for incredible flight tricks!

Sometimes, they'll perch on warm rocks to soak up sunshine and get energized!

Their large compound eyes have thousands of tiny lenses for amazing all-around vision!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Slaty Skimmer can catch flying insects mid-air using its keen eyesight and agile flight, helping them secure food.

Slaty Skimmer has special pruinescence that turns its body from brown to powdery blue-gray, signaling its readiness to mate.

Slaty Skimmer larvae live underwater and munch on mosquito larvae, helping to keep aquatic environments healthy.

Slaty Skimmer larvae can camouflage themselves in pond muck, quickly ambushing prey that swims too close.

Maße und Details

Flügelspannweite: 70-86 mm
Größe: 45-58 mm
Lebenserwartung: 30-180 Tage
Fluggeschwindigkeit: 45 km/h
Anzahl der Beine: 6

Ernährung und Fütterung

These speedy hunters snatch up smaller insects right out of the air for a tasty meal!

Altersunterschiede: Larvae (nymphs) are aquatic ambush predators, eating insect larvae and small aquatic creatures; adults hunt flying insects.

Hauptnahrung

Mosquitoes
Flies
Midges
Smaller moths
Gnats

Nahrungssuche

Pursuit

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

Larvae actively hunt and eat their aquatic larvae.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Adult Slaty Skimmers are prey for larger frogs.

eaten by

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Birds catch adult dragonflies in mid-air.

hunts

Fruit Fly

Drosophila melanogaster

Adults actively pursue and eat small flying insects.

Merkmale

Luftbewohnend

Luftbewohnende Tiere verbringen einen erheblichen Teil ihres Lebens in der Luft und nutzen den Flug für verschiedene Aktivitäten wie Jagd, Wanderungen oder Nestbau.

Farbenfroh

Farbenfroh beschreibt Organismen oder Objekte, die eine große Vielfalt an leuchtenden und deutlich erkennbaren Farben aufweisen.

Insektenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Organismen, deren Nahrung hauptsächlich aus Insekten und anderen kleinen Wirbellosen besteht.

Feuchtgebiet

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal kennzeichnet Arten, die in Feuchtgebieten vorkommen. Dies sind Landflächen, die dauerhaft oder saisonal mit Wasser gesättigt sind, darunter Marschland, Sümpfe und Moore.