Erythemis simplicicollis
On the water surface resting males
Erythemis simplicicollis is a dragonfly of the genus Erythemis of the subfamily Sympetrinae. Their range extends from the center to the eastern United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. She is considered one of the most common species of the eastern United States. The status of the species is partly disputed; it is regarded by some as a subspecies of Erythemis collocata. But in the latest releases it is currently regarded again as an independent art
Construction of Imago
Full grown achieve the animals a length 36-48 mm, of which the abdomen occupies 24 to 30 millimeters. The wings reach a size 30-34 mm and are transparent.
The face of Erythemis simplicicollis is like the thorax green, but the males with age ash blue. This color change begins with the abdomen, thorax and ends on lasts a total of 17 intermediate stages two to three weeks. The abdomen is before the change of color in the males as well as in the females black with green spots on segments four to six. The cerci are yellow or pale gray in the pups.
Similar Species
Most similar Erythemis simplicicollis is understandably the partially traded as a second subspecies Erythemis collocata, but this is darker in color and the males have black Cerci. The also similar Erythemis vesiculosa is larger and has a more slender abdomen.
Scientific descriptions
Thomas Say gave the first description in 1839 under the name Libellula simplicicollis based on a male from North America. The holotype is now in the Boston Museum. Already in 1842 described Jules Pierre Rambur a Erythemis simplicicollis from Philadelphia as Libellula coerulans and another copy as Libellula maculiventris. A further description was followed in 1866 by Samuel Hubbard Scudder based on a male under the name Mesothemis gundlachii. Also, this specimen is now in the Boston Museum. William Forsell Kirby 1890 synonymisierte of Rambur with the Libellula simplicicollis described by Say. Friedrich Ris recognized in 1911 now also the synonymy of Scudder's type and classified the type down to the subspecies. However, this downgrade is still controversial and not accepted.