Damselflies and Dragonflies of Berrien County, Michigan

The damselflies and dragonflies belong to the Order Odonata, a group of aquatic organisms within the Class Insecta. The primary source used in compiling a list of the damselflies and dragonflies Berrien County was Edward J. Kormondy’s (1958) Catalogue of the Odonata of Michigan (.pdf). This was supplemented by Mark O’Brien’s Odonata known from Michigan, which includes distribution maps prepared 2000-2005 based (in part) on records supplied by participants in the Michigan Odonata Survey since 1996.

These sources produced a combined list of 45 species of odonates (18 damselflies and 27 dragonflies) known from Berrien County, which represent 8 families and 24 genera. O'Brien lists 165 species and 49 genera known from the entire State of Michigan.

In the following list, species attributed to Berrien County by Kormondy are marked with an asterisk (*) while those attributed to the county by O’Brien are marked with a hat (^). Common group names for suborders and families are from the BugGuide, while common species names are from Odonata of Michigan. Habitat descriptions are from Kormondy.

SUBORDER ZYGOPTERA (damselflies) – 18 species

Family Calopterygidae (broad-winged damselflies):

Calopteryx aequabilis, river jewelwing^

Calopteryx maculata, ebony jewelwing*^ - Habitat: Small, shaded “streams with rocky and silty bottoms, usually fairly rapid.”

Family Lestidae (spreadwings):

Lestes dryas, emerald spreadwing*^

Lestes forcipatus, sweetflag spreadwing*^ - “Habitat: Bog marshes; typha-lined ponds.”

Lestes rectangularis, slender spreadwing*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes; marsh zones of sand-silt-bottom lakes.”

Lestes unguiculatus, lyre-tipped spreadwing*^ - “Habitat: Marshy beach pools along Great Lakes; marshy zones of sand-silt-bottom ponds and lakes.”

Family Coenagrionidae (narrow-winged damselflies):

Amphiagrion saucium, eastern red damsel*^ – “Habitat: Marsh ponds; beach ponds along Lake Michigan.”

Argia apicalis, blue-fronted dancer^

Argia fumipennis (=violacea), variable dancer*^ - “Habitat: Marshy zones of sand-bottom lakes and stream impoundments; transition cedar-spruce bog lakes; sluggish streams.”

Argia moesta, powdered dancer^ – “Habitat: Rocky bottom, rapid streams.”

Argia tibialis, blue-tipped dancer*^

Enallagma civile, familiar bluet^

Enallagma ebrium, marsh bluet^ – “Habitat: Bog lakes and ponds; marshy zones of sand-muck-bottom lakes.”

Enallagma geminatum, skipping bluet^ – “Habitat: Bog lakes; marshy zones of sand-muck-bottom lakes.”

Enallagma hageni, Hagen’s bluet*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes and ponds; sand- and sand-marl-bottom lakes; slow streams.”

Ischnura posita, fragile forktail^ – “Habitat: Bog lakes and ponds; marshy zones of sand or sand-marl-bottom lakes; sand-silt-bottom streams.”

Ischnura verticalis, eastern forktail*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes and ponds; sand-bottom lakes; streams.”

Nehalennia irene, sedge sprite*^ - “Habitat: Marshy zones of sand- or sand-much-bottom lakes; bog lakes.”

SUBORDER ANISOPTERA (dragonflies)

Family Petaluridae (petaltails):

Tachopteryx thoreyi, gray petaltail*^

Family Cordulegastridae (spiketails):

Cordulegaster bilineata, brown spiketail^

Cordulegaster diastatops, delta-spotted spiketail*^

Cordulegaster maculata, twin-spotted spiketail*^

Cordulegaster obliqua, arrowhead spiketail*^

Family Aeshnidae (darners):

Aeshna interrupta, variable dancer*^

Anax junius, common green darner*^ - “Habitat: Virtually ubiquitous in a wide variety of aquatic habitats.”

Boyeria vinosa, fawn darner*^ - “Habitat: Rock bottom, moderately swift streams.”

Epiaeschna heros, swamp darner*^

Family Gomphidae (clubtails):

Gomphus fraternus, midland clubtail* - “Habitat: Bog marshes; large sand-bottom lakes.”

Gomphus vastus, cobra clubtail*^

Hagenius brevistylus, dragonhunter*^ - “Habitat: Sand- or sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Family Corduliidae (emeralds):

Doracordulia libera, racket-tailed emerald*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes and creeks; sand-, sand-marl-, and sand-muck-bottom lakes.”

Epitheca (=Tetragoneuria) cynosura, common baskettail*^ - “Habitat: Sand-marl-bottom lakes; semi-bog lakes.”

Family Libellulidae (common skimmers):

Celithemis elisa, calico pennant*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes, ponds, and marshes; sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Celithemis eponina, Halloween pennant*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes.”

Erythemis simplicicollis, eastern pondhawk^ – “Habitat: Boglike lakes and marshes; sand-much-bottom lakes.”

Leucorrhinia frigida, frosted whiteface*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes; sand- and sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Leucorrhinia intacta, dot-tailed whiteface*^ - “Habitat: Bog ponds and lakes; sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Libellula cyanea, spangled skipper*^ - “Habitat: Boglike lakes; sand-muck-bottom lakes.”

Libellula luctuosa, widow skimmer*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes, ponds, and marshes.”

Libellula pulchella, twelve-spotted skimmer*^ - “Habitat: Marsh zones of bog lakes and ponds; marshy zones of sand-, sand-marl-, sand-detritus-bottom lakes.”

Pachydiplax longipennis, blue dasher*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes and marshes; marsh ponds.”

Plathemis lydia, common whitetail*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes, ponds and marshes; sand-muck- and sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Sympetrum costiferum, saffron-winged meadowhawk^ – “Habitat: Bog lakes; sand-muck- and sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Sympetrum obtrusum, white-faced meadowhawk*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes and marses; sand- and sand-marl-bottom lakes.”

Sympetrum rubicundulum, ruby meadowhawk*^ - “Habitat: Bog lakes.”

Sympetrum vicinum, yellow-legged meadowhawk^ – “Habitat: Bog lakes; sand-, sand-marl-, and sand-muck-bottom lakes.”