The second-largest family of odonates, and the largest family of damselflies. Their habitats are dominantly open ponds, marshes and tropical streams, and are present almost everywhere in the world. A common characteristic is their small size and narrow wings, thus their nickname ‘narrow-winged damsels’.
Species in Missouri:
American Bluets Enallagma
Large genus of small to medium-sized damselflies with populations primarily in North America, with a few in Eurasia (though not very common). Most American bluets are blue and black, with the exception of some yellow to red species.
Familiar Bluet Enallagma civile

Lo, Bryan. Familiar Bluet at Taum Sauk
Male: Blue eyes and small black caps. Bluet stripes on thorax. Large blue middle segments with a black spot on the second segment of its abdomen.
Female: Polymorphic and can vary between blue or brown. Tan to greenish eyes with brown cap.
Tips in Identification – This dragonfly species is extremely abundant in Missouri but very local. The distinguishing factor is that females’ abdomen has black covering along all segments, with typical bluet torpedo pattern evident.
Turquoise Bluet Enallagma divagnans

McMasters, Melissa. Turquoise Bluets. Flickr, June 13, 2014, https://flic.kr/p/v7a1mZ
Male: Blue eyes with small black cap and horizontal dark stripe. Black abdomen with blue or turquoise sides.
Female: Eyes are brown on top, and tan below. Thorax similar to that of male’s with a mix of dull green.
Tips in Identification – Immature females of orange bluet group (Florida, Golden, Orange, Vesper) can have similar appearance to Turquoise Bluet, but have less blue at abdomen tip.
Orange Bluet Enallagma signatum

Hodnett, Ryan. Orange Bluet Female. Flickr, June 25, 2017, https://flic.kr/p/Xp4zdn. Ueda, Ken-ichi. Orange Bluet. Flickr, July 27, 2014, https://flic.kr/p/oM8p58
Male: Orange eyes and thorax.
Female: May be orange (duller than male), blue, or green. Eyes are brown over green or tan.
Tips in Identification – Both immature males and females are initially pale blue that then turn orange with age.
Vesper Bluet Enallagma vesperum

McMasters, Melissa McMasters. Vesper Bluet. Flickr, August 7, 2018, https://flic.kr/p/28Ah16v
Male: Eyes gradient from orange to yellow (top to bottom). Yellow thorax with narrow dark brown median striple.
Female: Eyes similar to males except more orange/brown. Thorax commonly green and pale turquoise but can also be yellow or orange (polymorphic).
Tips in Identification – Both sexes are slender with yellow thorax and blue abdomen tip. Most active during the evening. Immature females are often mistaken for female Turquoise Bluets, but region distribution separates them from coexistence.
Other Bluet Species in Missouri:
Skimming Bluet Enallagma geminatum
Tule Bluet Enallagma carunculatum
Azure Bluet Enallagma aspersum
Slender Bluet Enallagma traviatum
Double-striped Bluet Enallagma basidens
Stream Bluet Enallagma exsulans
Forktails ischnura
A genus of very small damselflies with worldwide distribution, reaching as far as many Oceanic islands. The name “forktail” is derived from the forked projection at the end segments of male species.
Lilypad Forktail Ischnura kellicotti

Morrison, Ann Marie. F. Lilypad Forktail. Flickr, August 12, 2013, https://flic.kr/p/ftfHTM
Male: Dark blue eyes with large black cap. Thorax mostly blue with wide median and humeral stripes. Black abdomen with hint of bright blue on some segments.
Female: Green eyes with black cap. Mature females have same thorax and abdomen color as male, while immature females have a bright orange appearance.
Tips in Identification – Wing color change from bright amber in newly emerged younglings to clear as the individual age. Lilypad differ from Skimming Forktails by bright blue eyes (mostly brown in Skimming). Often found regulating body heat on lilypads, hence the name.
Citrine Forktail Ischnura hastate

Brown, Lisa. New Species. Flickr, August 21, 2010, https://flic.kr/p/8utjRu. McMasters, Melissa. Citrine Forktail. Flickr, May 22, 2013, https://flic.kr/p/y4j5ZC
Male: Yellow to green gradient in eyes. Thorax striped green and black, with wide humeral stripe. Distinctively yellow abdomen with green base. Stigma on forewing is orange.
Female: Dull green eyes with brown cap. Black frontal thorax and white on lower sides. Immature females are mostly bright orange.
Tips in Identification – Tiny in size compared to other species of damselflies. Yellow males are almost unmistakable. Often found in high densities at appropriate habitats such as edges of ponds and lakes. Most females mate only once, then use stored sperm to fertilize future eggs.
Other Forktail Species in Missouri:
Fragile Forktail Ischnura posita
Eastern Forktail Ischnura verticalis
Red Damsels Amphiagrion
This distinctive genus of damselflies is unique to North America. Males are bright red with hints of black and females are slightly duller. A bulky and somewhat hairy thorax is seen in both sexes.
Eastern Red Damsel Amphiagrion saucium

Henise, Don. Eastern Red Damsel. Flickr, May 29, 2017, https://flic.kr/p/V3DK1w
Male: Reddish-brown eyes with horizontal stripes, and are paler on the underside. Thorax is black in front and reddish on sides. The abdomen is bright crimson and marked at tip with black. Legs are also red in most regions.
Female: Light brown eyes that are faintly striped. The thorax is dull orange and the abdomen is red-orange.
Tips in Identification – Only type of small red damselfly in the surrounding regions. Likes to perch on sedge or grass stems, not fond of flat leaves. Sometimes even found in acid bogs!
Firetails Telebasis
These neotropical damselflies are commonly found in floating vegetation, such as duckweeds or water lettuce. In terms of appearance, they are predominately red and lack postocular spots (unlike other North American pond damsels).
Duckweed Firetail Telebasis byersi

Irizarry, Dan Irizarry. Duckweed Firetail. Flickr, July 16, 2011. https://flic.kr/p/a4JB35
Male: Red to yellow gradient eyes. Black head with no postocular spots and a red face. Thorax is bright crimson sides and slightly paler below. Abdomen is entirely red, giving an overall fiery appearance.
Female: Brown and reddish eyes with a hint of tan below. Brown head with black markings. Abdomen and thorax differ from males and are much duller.
Tips in Identification – Often seen flying low and resting on carpet of duckweed on water surfaces. Pairs oviposit in tandem on same carpet. Typically found in swamps with abundance of duckweed or water lettuce, not so much in water lilies or grass beds.
Dancers Argia
The bouncy and jagged flight style of this species differs greatly from the smooth thrusting motion of bluets, forktails and other pond damsels. Their wings have a slightly shorter petiole and is most likely an adaption to swiftly capture flying insects. Many species of the Dancer genus open and close their wings in a ‘wing clapping’ fashion.
Blue-fronted Dancer Argia apicalis

DeLoach, Vicki. Blue Fronted Dancer in Zinnias. Flickr, July 18, 2016, https://flic.kr/p/K5Nfwf
Male: Blue to brown gradient eyes. Blue thorax that fades to a lighter shade on the sides, but is duller than most other blue colored species. Blue polygon-like shape above each middle leg.
Female: Polymorphic colorways. Some females are green and can change with age. Oviposting blue females also become duller, to a shade of blue-grey.
Tips in Identification – Dancer species perch with wings raised above the abdomen unlike all other North American pond damsels that hold them alongside the abdomen (Sprites are the only exception).
Powdered Dancer Argia moesta

Gallagher, Judy. Powdered Dancer. Flickr, August 7, 2018, https://flic.kr/p/28MkFrT
Male: Pale grey brown eyes. Wide and complete black stripes on abdomen make it mostly black above with contrasting white rings at base (some individuals may show tinges of blue). In drier regions, powdery texture can cover the entire body.
Female: Either entirely light blue or largely blue on head and thorax, although brown is more common. Blue females may be green when younger, and their thorax would typically turn grey when mating, however the face remains blue.
Tips in Identification – One of the bigger dancer species in terms of size and with large areas of pruinosity (white powdery texture) especially in males.
Variable Dancer Argia fumipennis


Keim, Mary. Variable Dancers. Flickr, May 24, 2013, https://flic.kr/p/etrzPz.
Male: Eyes brown above and violet below. Thorax and abdomen is predominantly violet with a slight gradient of blue towards the end segment.
Female: Brown eyes and thorax. No entirely blue females.
Tips in Identification – The coloration of violet and blue in males is unique among North American damselflies. Only North American odonate that has been given subspecies. The most common population is the Violet Dancer (Argia fumipennis violacea). The other two are the Smoky-winged Dancer (Southeastern coastal plain) and Black-bodied Dancer (Florida Peninsula).
Other Dancer Species in Missouri:
Seepage Dancer Argia bipunctulata
Blue-ringed Dancer Argia sedula
Blue-tipped Dancer Argia tibialis
Dusky Dancer Argia translate
Springwater Dancer Argia plana