Abstract
There are seven genera and 50 species of Corduliidae in North America. Nymphs of most species, especially those that inhabit shallow peatlands, are relatively difficult to find whereas a few are common inhabitants of ponds, lakes and streams. Four genera are endemic to North America: Dorocordulia, Helocordulia, Neurocordulia, and Williamsonia. Some species of the genus Somatochlora, the most species-rich genus in the family, range far to the north in Canada and Alaska. Corduliid nymphs are usually long-legged and relatively flattened, appearing similar to many Libellulidae; they can be distinguished by the presence of a shallow ventromedial groove on the prementum which libellulids lack. The frontoclypeal ridge of most corduliids is well-developed and projects as a frontal shelf, but only one species possesses a triangular frontal projection similar to that of the Macromiidae. The seven corduliid genera of North America are morphologically similar. The main characters for separating them include the ventral abdominal sternites, lateral thoracic color pattern, middorsal hooks, posterolateral spines, and the height of the distal palpal crenations. Life cycles vary from one year to at least three years.
crawling off
the edge of winter—
dragonfly nymphs
Tennessen (Reproduced with permission from Dragonfly Haiku (2016). Copyright Red Dragonfly Press.)
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Tennessen, K. (2019). Corduliidae. In: Dragonfly Nymphs of North America. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97776-8_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97776-8_11
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