Damselflies of Maryland and Washington D.C.
DAMSELFIES OF MARYLAND & WASHINGTON D.C.
Last update December 6, 2020 For an update of this list contact: odonata457@comcast.net
Calopterygidae
1) Calopteryx aequabilis Say, 1839 -- River Jewelwing – rare – streams -- only larval (no adults) found at two locations in Garrett county
2) Calopteryx amata Hagen, 1889 -- Superb Jewelwing – rare – streams -- Garrett county
3) Calopteryx angustipennis (Selys, 1853) -- Appalachian Jewelwing -- rare -- streams -- Allegany and Washington
4) Calopteryx dimidiata Burmeister, 1839 -- Sparkling Jewelwing – rare – streams -- known from historical records from Prince Georges
county and Washington D.C. from 1906 through 1917. Currently known from Queen Annes, Caroline and Wicomico
5) Calopteryx maculata (Beauvois, 1805) -- Ebony Jewelwing -- common -- forested streams -- recorded from all Maryland counties and
Washington D.C.
6) Hetaerina americana (Fabricius, 1798) -- American Rubyspot -- abundant along Potomac River, uncommon elsewhere -- not yet found
on the eastern shore -- -- recorded from Al, Wa, Fr, Ba, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG and Washington D.C.
7) Hetaerina titia (Drury, 1773) -- Smoky Rubyspot – rare -- Potomac River -- until one was photographed on the C&O Canal at Glen Echo
on September 8, 2019 this species had not been sighted since the 1970s -- recorded from Mo, PG, and Washington D.C.
Lestidae
8) Archilestes grandis (Rambur, 1842) -- Great Spreadwing – uncommon – streams -- widespread but not yet recorded from the eastern
shore -- recorded from Ga, Al, Fr, Ba, Ha, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, and Washington D.C.
9) Lestes australis Walker, 1952 -- Southern Spreadwing -- common -- ponds -- recorded from Al, Fr, Cl, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch,
SM, Ke, QA, Co, Do, Wi, Wo and Washington D.C.
10) Lestes congener Hagen, 1861 -- Spotted Spreadwing -- uncommon -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Ba, Ho, PG, Ke, Co
11) Lestes disjunctus Selys, 1862 -- Northern Spreadwing -- uncommon – ponds -- Garrett County
12) Lestes dryas Kirby, 1890 -- Emerald Spreadwing -- historical records (pre-1940) -- Baltimore City and Washington D.C. – ponds
13) Lestes eurinus Say, 1839 -- Amber-winged Spreadwing -- common in Catoctins to uncommon elsewhere -- ponds – recorded from
Ga, Fr, Ce, Ho, AA, PG, Ke
14) Lestes forcipatus Rambur, 1842 -- Sweetflag Spreadwing -- uncommon -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Fr, Ba, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ke, QA,
Co, Do and Washington D.C.
15) Lestes inaequalis Walsh, 1862 -- Elegant Spreadwing -- uncommon -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Al, Ba, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch,
Ke, Co, Wo and Washington D.C.
16) Lestes rectangularis Say, 1839 -- Slender Spreadwing -- common -- ponds -- recorded from all Maryland counties (except Wicomico
and Somerset) and Washington D.C.
17) Lestes unguiculatus Hagen, 1861 -- Lyre-tipped Spreadwing -- historical records from Prince Georges County (16-August -1914),
Baltimore County (19-May-1978) and Washington D. C. (31-July-1899) – ponds
18) Lestes vigilax Hagen in Selys, 1862 -- Swamp Spreadwing – uncommon -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Ba, Ha, Ho, AA, PG,
Ct, Ch, SM, Co, Wi, Wo
Coenagrionidae
19) Amphiagrion saucium (Burmeister, 1839) -- Eastern Red Damsel -- uncommon -- grassy seeps -- recorded from Ga, Al, Fr, Cl, Ba,
Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, QA, Co, Ta, Do, Wi, Wo and Washington D.C.
20) Argia apicalis (Say, 1839) -- Blue-fronted Dancer -- common -- streams, rivers, and ponds -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba, Ha,
Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, SM, Ke, QA, Co, Ta, Wo, and Washington D.C.
21) Argia bipunctulata (Hagen, 1861) -- Seepage Dancer – rare – acidic bogs -- Ba, Ho, AA, PG, Ch and Washington D.C. (historical
record,1899)
22) Argia fumipennis violacea (Hagen, 1861) -- Violet Dancer -- common -- wide variety of aquatic habitats -- recorded from all Maryland
Counties (except Somerset) and Washington D.C.
23) Argia moesta (Hagen, 1861) -- Powdered Dancer -- -- often abundant -- rivers and streams -- not yet recorded from the eastern shore
-- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch and Washington D.C.
24) Argia sedula (Hagen, 1861) -- Blue-ringed Dancer -- common along the Potomac River, uncommon elsewhere -- but not yet recorded
from the eastern shore -- -- recorded from Al, Wa, Fr, Ba, Ha, Mo, AA, and Washington D.C.
25) Argia tibialis (Rambur, 1842) -- Blue-tipped Dancer -- abundant -- streams and rivers -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba, Ha, Ce,
Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, Ke, QA, Co, Do, Wi, Wo, and Washington D.C.
26) Argia translata Hagen in Selys, 1865 --Dusky Dancer -- usually uncommon, occasionally abundant-- usually found on rivers,
occasionally at the edges of lakes – recorded from Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, and Washington D.C.
27) Chromagrion conditum (Hagen in Selys, 1876) -- Aurora Damsel -- uncommon -- ponds, swamps, and bogs -- recorded from Ga, Al,
Wa, Fr, Ba, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, QA, Co, Wi, Wo and Washington D.C.
28) Enallagma annexum (Hagen, 1861) -- Northern Bluet -- rare – ponds -- recorded from Garrett county
29) Enallagma antennatum (Say, 1839) -- Rainbow Bluet -- rare – ponds – Garrett county
30) Enallagma aspersum (Hagen, 1861) -- Azure Bluet -- common -- ponds -- recorded from all Maryland counties (except Washington
and Carroll) and Washington DC
31) Enallagma basidens Calvert, 1902 -- Double-striped Bluet -- uncommon -- ponds and lakes -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba,
Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, QA, Co, Do and Washington D.C.
32) Enallagma carunculatum Morse, 1895 -- Tule Bluet -- historical records from Garrett, Harford, and Prince Georges counties -- current
record from Allegany county – ponds
33) Enallagma civile (Hagen, 1861) -- Familiar Bluet -- common -- ponds -- recorded from all Maryland counties and Washington D.C.
34) Enallagma daeckii (Calvert, 1903) -- Attenuated Bluet -- rare on Piedmont, uncommon coastal plain -- ponds -- recorded from Fr, AA,
PG, Ch, SM, Co, Wi, Wo
35) Enallagma divagans Selys, 1876 -- Turquoise Bluet -- uncommon -- streams -- recorded from Ga, Al, Fr, Ha, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch,
SM, QA, Co, Do, So, Wo and Washington D.C.
36) Enallagma doubledayi (Selys, 1850) -- Atlantic Bluet – rare – ponds and bogs -- historical records from Montgomery county (1-June-
1900) and Prince George’s county (25-August-1916), a 2006 record from Hart-Miller Island in Baltimore county, a 2007 record from
Wicomico county and a 2020 record from Kent county
37) Enallagma dubium Root, 1924 -- Burgundy Bluet -- coastal plain -- rare -- ponds -- 2003 record from Worcester County and 2009
record from Caroline County -- earlier claims from western shore coastal plain location have yet to be confirmed
38) Enallagma durum (Hagen, 1861) -- Big Bluet -- usually uncommon but on occasion can be locally abundant -- Piedmont from the
Potomac River and Bush River, and the large rivers of the Coastal Plain -- -- recorded from Fr, Ha, Ce, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, Ke, QA, Ta,
Do, Wi and Washington D.C.
39) Enallagma ebrium (Hagen, 1861) -- Marsh Bluet -- historical record from Lake Roland, Baltimore county pre-1910
40) Enallagma exsulans (Hagen, 1861) -- Stream Bluet -- abundant -- rivers and streams -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ba, Ha, Ce,
Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ch, QA, Co, Wo, and Washington, D.C.
41) Enallagma geminatum Kellicott, 1895 -- Skimming Bluet -- common -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA,
PG, Ct, Ch, SM, Ke, QA, Co, Do, Wi, Wo and Washington D.C.
42) Enallagma hageni (Walsh, 1863) – Hagen’s Bluet -- Garrett county (common), historical record for Baltimore county (23-June-1922) –
ponds
43) Enallagma pallidum Root, 1923 -- Pale Bluet -- two records from ponds in Wicomico county, one in 1922 and other in 2003. Additional
records from Caroline county since 2009
44) Enallagma signatum (Hagen, 1861) -- Orange Bluet -- common -- still or slow-moving water -- recorded from all Maryland counties
and Washington D.C.
45) Enallagma traviatum Selys, 1876 -- Slender Bluet --common -- ponds -- both the eastern and western subspecies occur in Maryland
and can be found together in the Catoctin Mtns -- recorded from Ga, Al, Wa, Fr, Cl, Ha, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, Ke, QA, Co, Wi, So and
Washington D.C.
46) Enallagma vesperum Calvert, 1919 -- Vesper Bluet -- uncommon -- ponds -- recorded from Ga, Ba, Ha, Ce, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ch, QA,
Co, Wi
47) Enallagma weewa Boyers, 1927 -- Blackwater Bluet – uncommon -- recorded from Ha, Ch, QA, Co, Wi, So and Wo
48) Ischnura hastata (Say, 1839) -- Citrine Forktail -- common -- grassy seeps and marshes -- recorded from all Maryland counties and
Washington D.C.
49) Ischnura kellicotti Williamson, 1898 -- Lilypad Forktail -- common only on the coastal plain, uncommon elsewhere -- ponds with
floating vegetation -- recorded from Ga, Al, Cl, Ha, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, Co, Wi, So and Washington D.C.
50) Ischnura posita posita (Hagen, 1861) -- Fragile Forktail -- abundant -- various aquatic habitats -- recorded from all Maryland counties
and Washington D.C.
51) Ischnura prognata (Hagen, 1861) -- Furtive Forktail -- rare -- first found in Maryland in 2007 -- slow to still moving shaded water --
recorded from Ce, Mo, AA, Co, Wi, Wo
52) Ischnura ramburii (Selys, 1850) – Rambur’s Forktail -- common on the coastal plain and uncommon on the Piedmont -- still, usually
slightly brackish, water -- recorded from Fr, Ba, Ha, Ho, Mo, AA, PG, Ct, Ch, SM, Ke, QA, Co, Ta, Do, Wi, So, Wo, and Washington D.C.
53) Ischnura verticalis (Say, 1839) -- Eastern Forktail -- widespread -- abundant -- ponds -- recorded from all counties in Maryland and
Washington D.C.
54) Nehalennia gracilis Morse, 1895 -- Sphagnum Sprite -- very local -- sphagnum bogs -- recorded from Ha, Ho, AA, PG, Ch, Ke, Co, Wi,
Wo, and Washington D.C. (historical record)
55) Nehalennia integricollis Calvert, 1913 -- Southern Sprite -- very local and rare -- ponds and bogs recorded from AA, PG, Ct, Co and Wo
56) Nehalennia irene (Hagen, 1861) -- Sedge Sprite -- recorded from Garrett (common), Baltimore (historical, 22-June-1922), Howard
(one location) and Prince Georges (one location) – bogs
57) Telebasis byersi Westfall, 1957 -- Duckweed Firetail – rare – ponds – first recorded in 2007 in Worcester county and then 2009 in
Caroline county
Key of Maryland Counties by Physiographic Provinces:
ALLEGHENY PLATEAU: Ga = Garrett
VALLEY AND RIDGE: Al = Allegany, Wa = Washington
PIEDMONT: Fr = Frederick, Cl = Carroll, Ba = Baltimore (including Baltimore City), Ha = Harford, Ce = Cecil, Ho = Howard, Mo =
Montgomery
COASTAL PLAIN (Western Shore): AA = Anne Arundel, PG = Prince George’s, Ct = Calvert, Ch= Charles, SM = St. Marys
COASTAL PLAIN (Eastern Shore): Ke = Kent, QA = Queen Annes, Co = Caroline, Ta = Talbot, Do = Dorchester, Wi = Wicomico, So =
Somerset, Wo = Worcester
For additions, corrections or comments please contact Richard Orr odonata457@comcast.net or 5215 Durham Rd - East, Columbia,
Maryland 21044. When submitting additions please provide field data. A collected specimen is often required for new additions; however,
depending upon the species, photographs and/or field notes will be considered.