A male Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/5/2010). Highly state rare (S1) and state endangered.
Photo by
Jim Brighton
MBP List
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/18/2019). (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY).
A female Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2013).
Photo by
Richard Orr
MBP List
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/27/2014).
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/8/2015).
A female Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/26/2010).
Photo by
Bill Hubick
MBP List
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (7/3/2021).
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Josh Emm, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/6/2022). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
Elfin Skimmer mating in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/21/2011).
Photo by
Rick Cheicante
MBP List
A male Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/26/2010). North America's smallest dragonfly, averaging just 1 inch in length.
Photo by
Bill Hubick
MBP List
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/16/2018).
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/15/2010). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/19/2024). (c) Scot Magnotta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
A teneral male Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
A teneral Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
An Elfin Skimmer cast skin in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
Elfin Skimmer cast skins in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
Map Snapshot
176 Records
Status
Elfin Skimmer (Nannothemis bella) is the smallest dragonfly in North America. This diminutive species haunts bogs, where it breeds in pools in the Sphagnum. It may also occur at grassy seepages along lake edges (Paulson, 2011). While common in parts of its range, this is a rare dragonfly in Maryland. It has been found mainly in grassy bogs within three coastal plain counties, plus one population in the piedmont, in Frederick County (Richard Orr's The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Maryland and the District of Columbia). This species is state endangered in Maryland, and ranked as S1 (highly state rare).
Description
The Elfin Skimmer is North America's smallest dragonfly, averaging between 3/4" and an inch long.
Seasonality Snapshot
Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.
A male Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/5/2010). Highly state rare (S1) and state endangered.
Media by
Jim Brighton.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/18/2019). (c) Judy Gallagher, some rights reserved (CC BY).
View Record Details
Media by
Judy Gallagher.
A female Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2013).
Media by
Richard Orr.
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/27/2014).
View Record Details
Media by
Bonnie Ott.
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/8/2015).
View Record Details
Media by
Bonnie Ott.
A female Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/26/2010).
Media by
Bill Hubick.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (7/3/2021).
View Record Details
Media by
Jim Moore.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Josh Emm, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
View Record Details
Media by
Josh Emm.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/6/2022). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
View Record Details
Media by
Tom Feild.
Elfin Skimmer mating in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/21/2011).
Media by
Rick Cheicante.
A male Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/26/2010). North America's smallest dragonfly, averaging just 1 inch in length.
Media by
Bill Hubick.
An Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/16/2018).
View Record Details
Media by
Bill Hubick.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (5/15/2010). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
View Record Details
Media by
Hans Holbrook.
Elfin Skimmer in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/19/2024). (c) Scot Magnotta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).
View Record Details
Media by
Scot Magnotta via iNaturalist.
A teneral male Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
View Record Details
Media by
Bonnie Ott.
A teneral Elfin Skimmer in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
View Record Details
Media by
Bonnie Ott.
An Elfin Skimmer cast skin in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
View Record Details
Media by
Bonnie Ott.
Elfin Skimmer cast skins in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (5/11/2015).
View Record Details
Media by
Richard Orr.
Source: Wikipedia
| Nannothemis bella | |
|---|---|
_-_Nannothemis_bella,_Carolina_Sandhills_National_Wildlife_Refuge,_McBee,_South_Carolina_-_14093596448.jpg)
| |
| Male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Subfamily: | Brachydiplacinae |
| Genus: | Nannothemis Brauer, 1868 |
| Species: | N. bella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nannothemis bella (Uhler, 1857)
| |
Nannothemis is a genus of dragonflies in the family Libellulidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Nannothemis bella, commonly known as the elfin skimmer.[1][2][3][4][5] The elfin skimmer is native to the eastern United States and Canada, and is the smallest dragonfly in North America.[6] Males are powdery blue, while females are black and yellow, resembling a wasp.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Nannothemis Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "Nannothemis". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "Nannothemis genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
- ^ "Odonata Central". Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^ "World Odonata List". Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound. 2018. Retrieved 2019-07-02.
- ^ "Elfin Skimmer". Maryland Biodiversity Project. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
- ^ "Nannothemis bella". Wisconsin Odonata Survey. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
Further reading
[edit]- Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 978-1560989592.
- Steinmann, Henrik (1997). Wermuth, Heinz; Fischer, Maximilian (eds.). World Catalogue of Odonata, Volume II: Anisoptera. Das Tierreich. Vol. 111. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-014934-0.
- Needham, James G.; Westfall Jr., Minter J. Jr.; May, Michael L. (2000). Dragonflies of North America. Scientific Publishers. ISBN 978-0-945417-94-1.
- Kalkman, V. J. (2013). Studies on phylogeny and biogeography of damselflies (Odonata) with emphasis on the Argiolestidae (PhD). Leiden University. hdl:1887/22953.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Nannothemis at Wikimedia Commons
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