Emerald spreadwing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emerald spreadwing |
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Lestidae |
| Genus: | Lestes |
| Species: |
L. elatus
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| Binomial name | |
| Lestes elatus Hagen in Selys, 1862
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The Lestes elatus is a cool type of damselfly often called the emerald spreadwing. It belongs to a group of damselflies known as "spreadwings" because they often rest with their wings spread out. You can find this damselfly in countries like India, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.
Contents
About the Emerald Spreadwing
What it Looks Like
The emerald spreadwing is a medium-sized damselfly with pretty greenish-blue eyes. Its body, called the thorax, is brown on top and changes to yellowish-brown on its sides.
A special mark on its back helps you spot it! It has two narrow, shiny green stripes that look a bit like hockey sticks. These stripes spread out towards its belly. You might also see three tiny black spots on its sides. As these damselflies get older, their brown body can turn a bluish-white color. This change is called pruinescence.
The damselfly's long tail, called the abdomen, is pale yellowish-brown on the sides when it's young. The top part of the abdomen is shiny green up to segment 8. The very end of the tail (segments 9 and 10) is yellowish-brown, with a black part on segment 9. Just like the body, the tail can also turn bluish-white as the damselfly gets older.
Its "anal appendages" (small parts at the very end of its tail) are creamy yellow with black tips when it's young. In older damselflies, these parts turn completely black. These unique shiny stripes on its body help tell it apart from other similar damselflies.
Differences Between Males and Females
Female emerald spreadwings look a lot like the males. However, they usually have less of that bluish-white color change (less pruinescence) as they get older.
Where it Lives
The emerald spreadwing likes to live in flat areas, often called plains. You can find them breeding in places like ponds, wet marshy areas, and even paddy fields (rice fields).
Images for kids
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An adult male showing its bluish-white color change (pruinescence)
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A close-up of the "hockey stick" mark on its body
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The anal appendages (tail parts) of a male damselfly
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A female emerald spreadwing
 | Selma Burke |
 | Pauline Powell Burns |
 | Frederick J. Brown |
 | Robert Blackburn |
