Banded Pennant

Celithemis fasciata

The Banded Pennant is a colorful dragonfly with bright yellow and black stripes. It loves to fly around sunny areas, catching tiny bugs to eat. Watching it zoom by is always a fun sight!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Banded Pennant has a reddish-brown body, often with a brighter red abdomen in males, and distinctive dark reddish-brown bands or spots on each of its four transparent wings. Females tend to be more yellowish-brown, making them visually distinct from the brighter males.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusCelithemis

Banded Pennant

Interesting facts

Banded Pennant nymphs live underwater for up to five years before they become adult dragonflies.

Each day, a single Banded Pennant can eat hundreds of bothersome mosquitoes.

They are ancient insects, having flown the Earth for over 300 million years!

They can control each of their four wings independently, allowing for amazing aerial stunts!

Special abilities

Banded Pennant has huge compound eyes that help them spot tiny flying insects from far away in almost every direction.

Banded Pennant can fly backwards, hover, and turn instantly because of its powerful, independently moving wings.

Banded Pennant has spiky legs that form a basket to scoop flying insects right out of the air while flying.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 50-70 mm
Size: 30-45 mm
Lifespan: 30-90 days
Flight Speed: 25 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

These speedy hunters catch and eat other insects, especially pesky mosquitoes and flies!

Age differences: Young nymphs eat aquatic insects and tiny tadpoles underwater; adults eat flying insects above water.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
flies
gnats
small moths
midges

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Yellow fever mosquito

Aedes aegypti

Adults actively pursue and eat mosquitoes.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Adult dragonflies can be prey for large frogs.

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Nymphs living underwater are prey for fish.

Traits

Striped

Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.