Stats

Lifespan

A few weeks

Size

Small

Diet

Insectivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

Solitary

Biome

Freshwater wetland

Range

Eastern North America

Movement

Flight

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Common

About

The Calico Pennant is a small dragonfly named for the patchwork of black, amber, and red patches across its wings, with males developing a bright red body and females a golden-yellow one. It often perches at the very tip of a twig, wings held slightly downward, giving it a pennant-like silhouette over ponds and marshes.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   egg

   A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3. 3.
   subadult

   A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4. 4.
   adult

   Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Odonata

Family

Libellulidae

Genus

Celithemis

Species

Celithemis elisa