Twelve-spotted skimmer

The twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) is a common North American skimmer dragonfly, found in southern Canada and in all 48 of the contiguous U.S. states.

Twelve-spotted Skimmer
male
female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Hexapoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Anisoptera
Family:	Libellulidae
Genus:	Libellula
Species:	L. pulchella
Binomial name
Libellula pulchella (Drury, 1770)

It is a large species, at 50 mm (2.0 in) long. Each wing has three brown spots. In adult males, additional white spots form between the brown ones and at the bases of the hindwings; it is sometimes called the ten-spot skimmer for the number of these white spots.

References

• Dunkle, Sidney W. (2000). Dragonflies through Binoculars. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 173–174. ISBN 0-19-511268-7.
• Needham, James G.; Minter J. Westfall Jr.; Michael L. May (2000). Dragonflies of North America (rev. ed.). Gainesville, FL: Scientific Publishers. pp. 719–720. ISBN 0-945417-94-2.
• Mead, Kurt (2009). Dragonflies of the North Woods (Second ed.). Duluth, MN: Kollath+Stensaas Publishing. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-0-9792006-5-6.