Variable Dancer

Argia fumipennis

The Variable Dancer is a beautiful dragonfly with colorful wings that can change shades. They love to flutter around near water and are fun to watch as they dance in the air.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Variable Dancer is a slender damselfly, often displaying a striking blue or violet body with dark, intricate markings along its segments. Some individuals may appear brownish or reddish, giving them their 'variable' name. Its two pairs of clear, delicate wings are held together over its back when at rest.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyCoenagrionidaeGenusArgia

Variable Dancer

Interesting facts

A Variable Dancer's eyes have thousands of tiny lenses, giving them amazing high-resolution vision!

Baby Variable Dancers, called nymphs, live underwater for months before becoming adults!

Some Variable Dancers have colors that shift from blue to purple depending on the temperature!

They are like tiny aerial acrobats, able to fly forwards, backwards, and even hover perfectly still!

Special abilities

Variable Dancer can dart and hover with incredible precision because of its agile flight, which helps them catch tiny flying insects mid-air.

Variable Dancer larvae have a special gill system that helps them breathe underwater, allowing them to hunt aquatic prey effectively.

Variable Dancer males have vibrant, changing body colors that help them attract mates and warn off rivals, communicating visually.

Variable Dancer has large, compound eyes that give it a nearly 360-degree view, helping them spot prey and predators easily.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 30-50 mm
Size: 25-40 mm
Lifespan: 15-60 days
Flight Speed: 8 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

These swift hunters munch on tiny flying insects, keeping smaller bug populations in check!

Age differences: Nymphs eat tiny aquatic invertebrates, while adults hunt flying insects in the air.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
gnats
small flies
midges
aphids

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

hunts this common biting insect

eaten by

Green Frog

Lithobates clamitans

often eaten by this common pond frog

eaten by

Studfish

Fundulus notatus

larvae are a food source for this small fish

eaten by

Black and Yellow Garden Spider

Argiope aurantia

sometimes caught in the webs of this large spider

Traits

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

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.