Forktail
Guides
Ischnura barberi
Desert Forktail
Ischnura barberi, commonly known as the desert forktail, is a species of narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in North America and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population and no immediate threats to its survival.
Ischnura cervula
Pacific Forktail
Ischnura cervula, commonly known as the Pacific forktail, is a species of narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is distributed across Central America and North America. The species has been assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern (LC) with a stable population, most recently reviewed in 2018. Like other forktails in the genus Ischnura, it belongs to a group of small damselflies characterized by distinctive abdominal appendages.
Ischnura damula
Plains Forktail
Ischnura damula, known as the plains forktail, is a narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It occurs in North America. The species has been assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population and no immediate threats to its survival.
Ischnura demorsa
Mexican Forktail
Ischnura demorsa, commonly known as the Mexican Forktail, is a narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is a small, slender species found in freshwater habitats across Central America and the southwestern United States. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a stable population and no immediate threats to its survival. It is frequently observed in association with springs and rivers with emergent vegetation.
Ischnura denticollis
Black-fronted Forktail
Ischnura denticollis, commonly known as the Black-fronted Forktail, is a small damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is a western North American species with an exceptionally long adult lifespan for a damselfly, persisting up to six weeks. The species is notable for its distinctive lack of pale thoracic markings, which separates it from most other forktails. It occupies a variety of aquatic habitats including springs, ponds with emergent vegetation, and slow-moving stream sections.
Ischnura erratica
Swift Forktail
Ischnura erratica, the swift forktail, is a robust damselfly native to the Pacific Northwest. Adults are 30–35 mm long with a wingspan of 35–40 mm. Males display distinctive blue and black coloration with a forked tail on abdominal segment 10, while females occur in two color phases. It is one of the earliest damselflies to emerge each year and breeds in clear waters across diverse aquatic habitats.
Ischnura hastata
Citrine Forktail
Ischnura hastata, the Citrine Forktail, is a small damselfly with remarkable reproductive diversity across its range. Native populations in North America exhibit typical sexual reproduction, while populations in the Azores archipelago represent the only known example of parthenogenesis in the order Odonata. A population in the Galápagos Islands has evolved monandry (single mating per female), driven by extremely short adult lifespans of 1–3 days. The species occupies diverse wetland habitats from temperate North America to oceanic islands.
Ischnura kellicotti
Lilypad Forktail
Ischnura kellicotti, the lilypad forktail, is a species of narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in North America. The species has a stable population and is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
Ischnura posita
fragile forktail
Ischnura posita, commonly known as the fragile forktail, is a small damselfly species in the family Coenagrionidae. It measures 21–29 mm in body length and is native to most of eastern North America. The species is one of the more common damselflies along the east coast of the United States and is readily identified by distinctive exclamation mark-shaped shoulder stripes present in both sexes.
Ischnura prognata
Furtive Forktail
Ischnura prognata, known as the furtive forktail, is a species of narrow-winged damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in North America. The species has been assessed by the IUCN as Least Concern (LC), with a stable population and no immediate threats to its survival.
Ischnura verticalis
Eastern Forktail
Ischnura verticalis, the Eastern Forktail, is a small damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Larvae exhibit behavioral thermoregulation through depth selection in water columns, moving deeper at higher temperatures and shallower when cooler. Development is temperature- and prey-dependent, with faster development at higher temperatures and food availability. Males typically develop faster than females, with sexual differences in larval behavior and instar progression. Adults emerge over extended periods, with univoltine life cycles in temperate populations.