Lestidae - Spread-winged Damselflies |
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 Like most damselflies, the species in this family have long, thin bodies and long, thin wings. Unlike other damselflies, the species in this family hold their wings slightly open when they are at rest. Damselflies in other families hold their wings together when they are at rest.
Spread-winged damselflies have transparent wings with one black spot called the pterostigma on the tip of each of their four wings. They are 1-2 inches in length, and many species have have metallic green bodies, and most species have round bluish-green eyes on the sides of their heads.
Spread-winged damselflies are found around ponds and swamps, where they can be seen perching on grass and plant stems.
 Lestidae Photo Gallery
World Status Key
 Least Concern  Near Threatened  Vulnerable  Endangered  Critically Endangered  Extinct in Wild  Extinct  Not Enough Data
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist.
U.S. Status Key
 Threatened in US  Endangered in US  Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife. Click on U.S. status icon to go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife species profile. |
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New Hampshire Status Key
 Threatened in NH  Endangered in NH  Breeds in NH (birds)
Status taken from NH Fish and Game |
Location Key
 Africa  Asia  Australia/Oceania  Europe  North America  South America  NH  Click for More Info  Click for Image
Additional Information
Key:  Profile  Photos  Video  Audio NH Species
Amber-winged Spreadwing - Lestes eurinus
The amber-winged spreadwing is found from Manitoba east to Nova Scotia and south to Missouri and North Carolina. It is found across New Hampshire.
Source: BioKids Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Amber-winged Spreadwing - Lestes eurinus
The amber-winged spreadwing is found near ponds, bogs, and lakes without fish.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Amber-winged Spreadwing - Lestes eurinus
The amber-winged spreadwing is 1.7-2 inches in length.
Source: Wisconsin Odonata Survey Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Black Spreadwing - Lestes stultus
The black spreadwing is found in the western U.S.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Blue-striped Spreadwing - Lestes tenuatus
The blue-stripped spreadwing is found in Florida. In 2008 it was found in south Texas.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
California Spreadwing - Archilestes californica
The California spreadwing is found from Washington south to Baja California, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Carolina Spreadwing - Lestes vidua
The California spreadwing is found from North Carolina south to FLorida and west to Alabama.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Middle School
Chalky Spreadwing - Lestes sigma
The chalky spreadwing is found from Oklahoma and Texas south through Mexico to Costa Rica.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Dark Spreadwing - Lestes macrostigma
The dark spreadwing is found in in coastal regions of Europe and Asia.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Dune Ringtail - Austrolestes minjerriba
The dune ringtail is found in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
Source: Atlas of Living Australia Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Elegant Spreadwing - Lestes inaequalis
The elegant spreadwing is found in eastern North America from Ontario south to Florida and west to Minnesota and Texas.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Elegant Spreadwing - Lestes inaequalis
The elegant spreadwing is a large metallic green damselfly.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Emerald Damselfly - Lestes sponsa
The emerald damselfly is found from western Europe to Japan. It is also known as the common spreadwing.
Source: British Dragonfly Society Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Emerald Spreadwing - Lestes dryas
The emerald spreadwing is found from Alaska, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia south to California, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Virginia. It is found across New Hampshire. It is also found in Eurasia and northern Africa.
Source: BioKids Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Emerald Spreadwing - Lestes dryas
The emerald spreadwing is metallic green.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Great Spreadwing - Archilestes grandis
The great spreadwing is found in western and southern regions of the United States.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Great Spreadwing - Archilestes grandis
The great spreadwing has a bright yellow stripe on its thorax that makes it easy to identify.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lyre-tipped Spreadwing - Lestes unguiculatus
The lyre-tipped spreadwing is found in the northern U.S. and Canada.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Lyre-tipped Spreadwing - Lestes unguiculatus
The lyre-tipped spreadwing is found near pools, ponds, and slow-moving streams.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Northern Spreadwing - Lestes disjunctus
The northern spreadwing is found across much of North America.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Plateau Spreadwing - Lestes alacer
The plateau spreadwing is found in Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas south through Mexico and Costa Rica.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Plateau Spreadwing - Lestes alacer
The plateau spreadwing has a blue face.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Rainpool Spreadwing - Lestes forficula
The rainpool spreadwing is found from Texas and Mexico and south through Central America and West Indies to Argentina and Brazil.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Rainpool Spreadwing - Lestes forficula
The rainpool spreadwing is found in ponds and pools.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Siberian Winter Damsel - Sympecma paedisca
The Siberian winter damsel is found in Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, North and South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Slender Spreadwing - Lestes rectangularis
The slender spreadwing is found in the eastern United States.
Source: BioKids Intended Audience: Students Reading Level: Elementary School
Slender Spreadwing - Lestes rectangularis
Male slender spreadwings have very long abdomens.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Small Reedling - Indolestes alleni
Male slender spreadwings have very long abdomens.
Source: Atlas of Living Australia Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Southern Spreadwing - Lestes australis
The southern spreadwing is found across the eastern and southern United States.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Southern Spreadwing - Lestes australis
The southern spreadwing is usually found in non-moving water habitats with emergent vegetation.
Source: Wisconsin Odonata Survey Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Southern Spreadwing - Lestes australis
The southern spreadwing is 1.4-1.8 inches in length.
Source: Bug Guide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Spotted Spreadwing -Lestes congener
The spotted spreadwing is found across much of the United States, except for some southern states. It is found in New Hampshire in the fall.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Spotted Spreadwing - Lestes tridens
The spotted spreadwing is found at the edges of ponds, marshes, and swamps.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Swamp Spreadwing - Lestes vigilax
The swamp spreadwing is found from Southeastern Canada and Minnesota and south to Florida and Oklahoma and Texas.
Source: Odonata Central- Texas Natural Science Center Intended Audience: General Reading Level: High School
Sweetflag Spreadwing - Lestes forcipatus
The sweetflag spreadwing is found in the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. It is found across New Hampshire.
Source: BugGuide Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School
Sweetflag Spreadwing - Lestes forcipatus
The sweetflag spreadwing is found in ponds, lakes, and slow streams.
Source: Wisconsin Odonata Survey Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School |
Like most damselflies, the species in this family have long, thin bodies and long, thin wings. Unlike other damselflies, the species in this family hold their wings slightly open when they are at rest. Damselflies in other families hold their wings together when they are at rest.
