Jeff's Damselfly and Dragonfly Page

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Nature Pages






Dragonflies of North Carolina Downloadable Field Checklist (updated 27 Mar 05)

You may need to right-click and "save target (link) as" to download it. If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to email me at jspippen@duke.edu.

Above is a field checklist for the Dragonflies of North Carolina. The data used to create the checklist come from the NC Natural Heritage Program dragonfly list edited and maintained by Harry LeGrand, Jr. with data provided by John Finnegan and Steve Hall. Included with the common and scientific names of the dragonflies are NC range codes and state "rankings". The range codes indicate in which province (mountains, piedmont, coastal plain) each species has been documented and were determined by Steve Hall and collections from Duncan Cuyler. State ranks were also determined by Steve Hall and indicate the degree of abundance or rarity within NC.

This checklist is available for download as an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file. Some of the text is in blue font if you use a color printer, but it will print just fine in black with a black and white printer. The checklist is tri-fold style. I recommend printing page one first, then take that page and replace it in the paper tray of your printer so that page two will print on the backside of page one. To yield the final checklist, lay the paper in front of you with the "Skimmers" column face-up on the right. Fold the right-hand margin of the paper one-third of the way over the sheet, then fold the left-hand margin over that to create the final field checklist. When you're done, the title "Dragonflies of North Carolina" should be on top. Hopefully this all made sense!


Odonate Photo Pages

Photos before 2006 were taken with a Nikon CoolPix 4500, generally under natural lighting. Photos beginning 2006 were taken as above or with a Canon EOS 20d with flash or with natural lighting.

Nomenclature follows the official names lists created and maintained by the Dragonfly Society of the Americas and was updated here 4 January 2009.

North Carolina dragonfly & damselfly photos
Florida dragonfly & damselfly photos
Other North American dragonfly & damselfly photos
Unidentified North American Ode photos...
Aruba Ode photos

North Carolina Dragonflies & Damselflies

Damselflies (Zygoptera)

Broad-winged Damsels (Calopterygidae)

Appalachian Jewelwing (Calopteryx angustipennis)
Sparkling Jewelwing (Calopteryx dimidiata)
Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata)
American Rubyspot (Hetaerina americanan)

Spread-winged Damsels (Lestidae)

Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis)
Southern Spreadwing (Lestes australis)
Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus)
Swamp Spreadwing (Lestes vigilax)

Pond Damsels (Coenagrionidae)

Eastern Red Damsel (Amphiagrion saucium)
Blue-fronted Dancer (Argia apicalis)
Seepage Dancer (Argia bipunctulatus)
Variable Dancer (Argia fumipennis)
Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta)
Blue-tipped Dancer (Argia tibialis)
Blue-ringed Dancer (Argia sedula)
Aurora Damsel (Chromagrion conditum)
River Bluet (Enallagma anna)
Double-striped Bluet (Enallagma basidens)
Familiar Bluet (Enallagma civile)
Cherry Bluet (Enallagma concisum)
Attenuated Bluet (Enallagma daeckii)
Turqoise Bluet (Enallagma divagans)
Atlantic Bluet (Enallagma doubledayi)
Stream Bluet (Enallagma exsulans)
Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata)
Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita)
Rambur's Forktail (Ischnura ramburii)
Eastern Forktail (Ischnura verticalis)
Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis)

Dragonflies (Anisoptera)

Petaltails (Petaluridae)

Gray Petaltail (Tachyopteryx thoreyi)

Darners (Aeshnidae)

Black-tipped Darner (Aeschna tuberculifera)
Shadow Darner (Aeschna umbrosa)
Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
Swamp Darner (Epiaeshna heros)
Cyrano Darner (Nasiaeschna pentacantha)
Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata)
Taper-tailed Darner (Gomphaeschna antilope)
Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata)

Clubtails (Gomphidae)

Southeastern Spinyleg (Dromogomphus armatus)
Black-shouldered Spinyleg (Dromogomphus spinosus)
Banner Clubtail (Gomphus apomyius)
Diminutive Clubtail (Gomphus diminutus)
Lancet Clubtail (Gomphus exilis)
Piedmont Clubtail (Gomphus parvidens)
Ashy Clubtail (Gomphus lividus)
Septima's Clubtail (Gomphus septima)
Cobra Clubtail (Gomphus (Gomphurus) vastus)
Mustached Clubtail (Gomphus (Hylogomphus) adelphus)
Green-faced Clubtail (Gomphus (Hylogomphus) viridifrons)
Dragonhunter (Hagenius brevistylus)
Southern Pygmy Clubtail (Lanthus vernalis)
Eastern Least Clubtail (Stylogomphus albistylus)
Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus)

Spiketails (Cordulegastridae)

Brown Spiketail (Cordulegaster bilineata)
Tiger Spiketail (Cordulegaster erronea)
Twin-spotted Spiketail (Cordulegaster maculata)
Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegaster obliqua)

Cruisers (Macromiidae)

Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa)

Emeralds (Corduliidae)

Slender (Stripe-winged) Baskettail (Epitheca costalis)
Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura)
Prince Baskettail (Epitheca princeps)
Mantled Baskettail (Epitheca semiaquea)
Fine-lined Emerald (Somatochlora filosa)
Mocha Emerald (Somatochlora linearis)

Pennants and Skimmers (Libellulidae)

Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida)
Amanda's Pennant (Celithemis amanda)
Red-veined Pennant (Celithemis bertha)
Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa)
Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina)
Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata)
Ornate (Faded) Pennant (Celithemis ornata)
Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata)
Swift Setwing (Dythemis velox)
Black Setwing (Dythemis nigrescens) Newly Added! 23 Apr 2020
Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)
Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)
Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula)
Golden-winged Skimmer (Libellula auripennis)
Bar-winged Skimmer (Libellula axilena)
Spangled Skimmer (Libellula cyanea)
Yellow-sided Skimmer (Libellula flavida)
Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta)
Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa)
Needham's Skimmer (Libellula needhami)
Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
Painted Skimmer (Libellula semifasciata)
Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans)
Blue Corporal (Ladona deplanata)
Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella)
Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea)
Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea)
Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia)
Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis)
Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)
Blue-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum ambiguum)
Variegated Meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum)
White-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum obtrusum)
Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum)
Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)
Meadowhawk sp. (Sympetrum sp.)
Ruby Meadowhawk (Sympetrum rubicundulum) (perhaps I should say Ruby "type" Meadowhawk) - St. Clair Co., MI 8 July 2003
Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina)
Black Saddlebags (Tramea lacera) NEW 10 Oct 2020
Striped Saddlebags (Tramea calverti)

Other North American Odes

Thanks to Giff Beaton, Colin Jones, Nate Kohler, Dennis Paulson, Josh Rose, Carl Rothfels, and others for ID assistance!

Northern Spreadwing (Lestes disjunctus)
Emerald Spreadwing (Lestes dryas)
Lyre-tipped Spreadwing (Lestes unguiculatus)
unidentified spreadwing (Lestes sp.) - Quebec, Aug 2005
Vivid Dancer (Argia vivida)
Taiga Bluet (Coenagrion resolutum)
Northern Bluet (Enallagma annexum)
Boreal Bluet (Enallagma boreale) or Northern Bluet (Enallagma annexum)
Tule Bluet (Enallagma carunculatum)
Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene)
Canada Darner (Aeshna canadensis)
Lake Darner (Aeshna eremita)
Variable Darner (Aeshna interrupta)
Sedge Darner (Aeshna juncea)
Paddle-tailed Darner (Aeshna palmata)
Zigzag Darner (Aeshna sitchensis)
Subarctic Darner (Aeshna subarctica)
Lance-tipped Darner (Aeshna constricta)
California Darner (Rhionaeschna californica)
Twilight Darner (Gynacantha nervosa)
Grappletail (Octogomphus specularis)
Sinuous Snaketail (Ophiogomphus occidentis)
Pale Snaketail (Ophiogomphus severus)
Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis)
American Emerald (Cordulia shurtleffii)
Spiny baskettail (Epitheca spinigera)
Mountain Emerald (Somatochlora semicircularis)
Brush-tipped Emerald (Somatochlora walshii)
Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata)
Frosted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia frigida)
Crimson-ringed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia glacialis)
Hudsonian Whiteface (Leucorrhinia hudsonica)
Dot-tailed Whiteface (Leucorrhinia intacta)
Belted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia proxima)
Eight-spotted Skimmer (Libellula forensis)
Four-spotted Skimmer (Libellula quadrimaculata)
Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata)
Carmine Skimmer (Orthemis discolor)
Great Pondhawk (Erythemis vesiculosa)
Cherry-faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum internum)
Red-veined Meadowhawk (Sympetrum madidum)
Western Meadowhawk (Sympetrum occidentale)
Striped Meadowhawk (Sympetrum pallipes)

Unidentifed Odes -- I'd love to hear from you if you know what these are...Thanks for looking at 'em!

Damselflies and Dragonflies Links

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Created on September 13, 2002 | jspippen@duke.edu