Brush-tipped emerald

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Somatochlora walshii

Type: invertebrate

Status: special_concern

Species Guide

Brush-tipped emerald

Somatochlora walshii

Species Type: invertebrate

Conservation Status: special_concern

IDENTIFICATION

At 1.8”-1.9” in length, this is New Jersey’s smallest striped emerald. Its eyes are bright metallic green and the face has a yellow stripe and green metallic patch.  The thorax is green and metallic bronze with a lateral yellow stripe and dot and the abdomen is short.  The female is similar and has a scoop-like ovipositor.

Distribution & Habitat

The brush-tipped emerald was first recorded in New Jersey in 1982 and since then has been reported in a few locations in northern New Jersey.  They inhabit open swamps and bogs with small streams flowing through them.

Diet

Larvae feed on aquatic invertebrates and adults on flying insects.

Life Cycle

Adults are active from early June through the first week in August.

Current Threats, Status, and Conservation

The brush-tipped emerald is an uncommon dragonfly in New Jersey and therefore is considered a species of Special Concern in the state. Two threats facing this species are habitat modification and groundwater disturbance.

References

Text derived from the book, Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey. 2009. By Allen E. Barlow and Jim Bangma.

Edited and updated by Larissa Smith in 2011.

Scientific Classification

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Odonata
  • Family: Corduliidae
  • Genus: Somatochlora
  • Species: S. walshii