Widow Skimmer vs Amazon Ant
Side-by-side species comparison
| Attribute | Widow Skimmer | Amazon Ant |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Libellula luctuosa | Polyergus breviceps |
| Order | Odonata | Hymenoptera |
| Family | Libellulidae | Formicidae |
| Size | 60-68 mm wingspan | 4-7 mm |
| Habitat | Ponds & Lakes | Grasslands |
| Diet | Predators | Predators |
| Regions | North America | South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile) |
| Conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
Widow Skimmer
A distinctive dragonfly with broad dark wing patches at the base and white bands beyond them in mature males. Females and young males lack the white bands.
Did You Know?
The widow skimmer gets its somber common name from the dark mourning-veil-like patches on the wings of females.
Amazon Ant
A slave-making ant that raids colonies of Formica ants to steal pupae, which then emerge as workers in the Polyergus colony. The sickle-shaped mandibles of Polyergus workers are adapted for combat but useless for foraging or nest maintenance. They depend entirely on their captive workers for food and brood care.
Did You Know?
Without their enslaved workers, an entire colony would starve because their sickle-shaped jaws make them incapable of feeding themselves.