Details
Pachydiplax longipennis
The blue dasher is a small dragonfly whose males show a powdery blue body. By day it launches from waterside perches to catch small flying insects.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives around ponds, marshes, wetlands, and slow freshwater in the Nearctic, the Neotropics. Open water with emergent plants is favored.
Length 2.5-4.5 cm; weight 0.1 g-0.4 g. Males have a blue-pruinose abdomen and green eyes, while females are yellowish brown with stripes. Clear wings may show color near the base.
Diurnal and solitary, males defend small territories along water. They dart from perches after prey and rivals.
A carnivore, adults catch small flying insects in the air. Aquatic larvae ambush mosquito larvae and other small animals.
After mating, females drop eggs near the water surface or plants. Larvae grow underwater and climb stems or banks to emerge.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
