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| Eastern amberwing | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
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| Male | |
.jpg)
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| Female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Perithemis |
| Species: | P. tenera
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| Binomial name | |
| Perithemis tenera | |
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| Range of P. tenera[3][4] | |
The eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is very small, reaching a total length of no more than 25 millimetres (0.98 in). The males have orange or amber wings, which likely contain pheomelanin.[5] Both sexes have a red pterostigma.[6] It is found in eastern North America, from northern Mexico north to south-eastern Canada.[3][4]
The eastern amberwing dragonfly is one of the only types of dragonfly that actively mimics a wasp. The yellow and brown stripes on its abdomen encourage predators to stay away. When perched, they wiggle their abdomen and wings in a wasp-like fashion to deter other animals from eating it. Males have an elaborate courtship ritual. When a female approaches his territory, the male will lead her to his selected egg-laying site and hover above it with wings whirring and abdomen raised.[7]
The common name refers to its eastern range, although this dragonfly does extend westward well into the central part of the United States. The scientific name, tenera, means delicate and alludes to its small size.[8]
Gallery
[edit]-
Male
Lake Wales, Florida, US -
Male -
Male -
Ovipositing Naperville, Illinois, US
References
[edit]- ^ Paulson, D.R. (2017). "Perithemis tenera". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017 e.T51279851A65836584. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T51279851A65836584.en. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Perithemis tenera". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- ^ a b "Perithemis tenera range map". USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. Archived from the original on May 24, 2009. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ a b "Distribution Viewer". OdonataCentral. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
- ^ Cezário, Rodrigo Roucourt; Almeida, JGL de; Peixoto, PEC; Wilts, Bodo D.; Ferreira, Rhainer Guillermo (1 November 2024). "The mechanistic origin of amber pigmentation of Perithemis tenera (Say, 1840) wings (Odonata: Libellulidae) and its function in conspecific signalling". Zoology. 167. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2024.126226. ISSN 0944-2006. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
- ^ Abbott, John C. (2005). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States. Princeton University Press. pp. 292–293. ISBN 0-691-11364-5.
- ^ Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. Csiro Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-643-10249-1.
- ^ Paulson, Dennis R.; Dunkle, Sidney W. (12 February 2021). "A Checklist of North American Odonata" (PDF). Jim Johnson. p. 73. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023 – via odonatacentral.org.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Perithemis tenera at Wikimedia Commons- Perithemis tenera on BugGuide.Net
- Citizen science observations for Eastern amberwing at iNaturalist
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