Painted Skimmer vs Black-winged Damselfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Painted Skimmer Black-winged Damselfly
Scientific Name Libellula semifasciata Calopteryx atrata
Order Odonata Odonata
Family Libellulidae Calopterygidae
Size 40-47 mm 55-68mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions North America Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Painted Skimmer

An attractive dragonfly with amber-tinted wings marked by brown bands and spots. It is an early-season flier in eastern North America.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the earliest dragonflies to emerge in spring across the eastern United States.

Black-winged Damselfly

A large damselfly where males have entirely black iridescent wings with a metallic blue-green body. Females have dark smoky-brown wings. It inhabits clean streams in East Asia.

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Did You Know?

In Japan it is called 'haguro-tonbo' (black-winged dragonfly) and is considered a symbol of good fortune.