Dancers & Damsels
What are they?
This section brings together those damselfly species in the family Coenagrionidae which don't fall in the groups known as bluets or forktails (the sprites also belong here taxonomically but are included with the spreadwings as they look very similar to them). All species are rather small, thin-bodied creatures, typical of their family, with brightly-colored males which are usually blue or red.
Identification
This is a fairly varied group and most males can be identified fairly readily by their overall color and the markings on the abdomen and/or thorax.
Aurora Damsel Chromagrion conditum
Length: 1.3-1.4 inches. Flight time: Early May to mid September. Local but may be common in places. Mostly found in the northern third of the county. The blue coloration of the males suggests a bluet, but two features are distinctive - the wavy border between the blue and black on the thorax, and the bright yellow patch on the underside of the thorax. The latter can sometimes be hard to see but is apparent if looked for.
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Variable Dancer Argia fumipennis
Length: 1.1-1.4 inches. Flight time: Mid May to early October. A common and widespread species. Variable Dancer gets its name because the species overall is rather variable in the color of the abdomen and the wings. The form in New Jersey is violacea which typically has a violet abdomen and clear wings. In many books this one form is known as Violet Dancer.
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Blue-fronted Dancer Argia apicalis
Length: 1.3-1.6 inches. Flight time: Early June to September. Favors small rivers and streams but also occurs at ponds and small lakes. First recorded in Cape May County at Erma in 2013. The all blue thorax of the male is distinctive but this species could be overlooked as a large bluet.
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Blue-tipped Dancer Argia tibialis
Length: 1.2-1.5 inches. Flight time: Early June to early September. A species that favors larger rivers and other bodies of moving water so consequently is local and generally uncommon in Cape May County. Overall rather similar to some of the darker bluet species, but male is all dark on the thorax top and sides, while the female has a triangle of blue or brown (depending on color form) on the side of the thorax, just in front of the wing bases.
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Seepage Dancer Argia bipunctulata
Length: 0.9-1.2 inches. Flight time: Mid May to mid September. A pale blue species which can easily be mistaken for a bluet. However, look for a lack of blue spots on the back of the head behind the eyes and a very broad black strip on the sides of the thorax.
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