Blue Dasher vs Puritan Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Blue Dasher Puritan Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Pachydiplax longipennis Cicindela puritana
Order Odonata Coleoptera
Family Libellulidae Cicindelidae
Size 52-58 mm wingspan 11-14mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Predators
Regions North America, Central America North America
Conservation Least Concern Endangered

Blue Dasher

A medium-sized dragonfly with a powdery blue abdomen and metallic green eyes in males. It is one of the most common dragonflies in North America.

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Did You Know?

Blue dashers adopt a distinctive obelisk posture in hot weather, pointing their abdomen straight up at the sun to minimize heat absorption.

Puritan Tiger Beetle

A bronze-green tiger beetle with white markings found only on sandy riverbanks and beaches. It is one of the rarest insects in North America.

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Did You Know?

It exists in only two known populations in Massachusetts and Connecticut making it a focus of intense conservation efforts.