Ischnura posita
Robsplants.com
The Fragile Forktail is
one of our smallest damselflies, growing up to 1 inch long.
Like most damselflies, they are often confused with their
dragonfly cousins. All damselflies are weak fliers,
fluttering like butterflies or slowly hovering, and most of
them rest with their wings folded. Fragile Forktails are
easy to identify from other damselflies, as long as you can
get close enough. They have two "exclamation marks" on the
thorax. Males have green marks, while females usually have
blue ones. Sometimes females have gray or tan
marks. Damselflies live near
water, especially small ponds, vernal pools, marshes, and
small slow-moving streams. The water must also have lots of
plants. Copyright, Michale H.
Blust Adult Fragile Forktails
usually hang around in the shade near the water's edge. They
rarely cross open water. They prefer the protection of
grasses, weeds, and other plants. Fragile Forktails are
usually found from late April until early October. They fly
slowly in and out of plants looking for prey, or for a
mate.
Copyright, Steve
Nanz When a male and female
forktail are ready to mate, the male grabs the female behind
the eyes with small "hooks" at the tip of his abdomen. The
female then curls the tip of her abdomen around to attach it
to the base of the male's abdomen. This arrangement is
called "in wheel." The two damselflies are able to fly
around in wheel until they are done mating, which may take
several hours. After mating, the female
forktail lays her eggs. She looks for a mat of algae or some
other plants on the surface of the water. She lays the eggs
on, or among, the plants so they are protected. When larvae hatch from
the eggs, they will spend a long time under water (probably
close to a year). Dragonfly and damselfly larvae have a
special name: naiad. Fragile Forktail naiads, like all
damselfly naiads, have three flat gills sticking out from
their abdomens. These gills are used for breathing, but they
can also help the naiads swim when they need to. Forktail naiads spend
most of their time climbing around on underwater plants
looking for prey. They are very territorial, and will chase
off other naiads that come near their hunting grounds. As
they eat and grow, they shed their exoskeletons (outer
skin). Each time they shed, the naiads get bigger and start
to look more like an adult. When a naiad is finally ready to
become an adult, it will crawl out of the water and change
for the last time. As an adult, the new damselfly will
unfold its wings and begin flying when it is
ready.
Copyright, Robert Thompson
Fragile Forktail naiads
eat small aquatic insects, crustaceans, and other tiny water
creatures. Like all damselflies and dragonflies, they
"whack" their prey with a hard lower lip that swings
out. Adult Fragile Forktails
eat mostly flying insects, like mosquitos and other small
flies. They will also pick insects off of leaves or from
spider webs. Forktails will eat just about anything they can
catch. Predators of Fragile
Forktails include fish, crayfish, larger insects, birds,
spiders, reptiles, and amphibians. Water mites are often
parasites of Fragile Forktail naiads. They attach ot the
thorax or abdomen of the naiad and suck juices from its
body. Copyright, Lynette
Schimming
