The Antillean Saddlebags, Tramea insularis, has been found in Arizona only at a couple of locations including Kearny Lake, Pinal. Ten to 15 males were observed at that location on 16 October 2011. Below are pictures of three different males seen that day.
The pondhawk (Erythemis) that is commonly found in Arizona is the Western Pondhawk, E. collocata. A similar species, the Eastern Pondhawk, E. simplicollis, has been documented only a couple of times, and there are some records also of apparent intermediates between the two species.
Adult male blue pondhawks (Erythemis) in the United States include the Western (E. collocata) and Eastern (E. simplicollis) Pondhawks. The species normally encountered, and often abundantly so, in Arizona is the Western Pondhawk, but there are a few isolated records also of Eastern Pondhawks (see under this species).
Two large orange/red skimmers that occur in Arizona and can be present at a same location are the Flame(Libellula saturata) and Neon (L. croceipennis) Skimmers.
Males are relatively easy to separate but females are quite similar.
Three similar-looking bluet (Enallagma) species in Arizona are the Familiar (E. civile), Boreal (E. boreale), andNorthern (E. annexum) Bluets. Of these, the Familiar Bluet is most widespread, occurring in all counties and in a wide variety of habitats, and in some regions, flying year-round. By contrast, Boreal and Northern Bluets are limited roughly to the northeast half of the state (Paulson 2009; see distribution map of each species).
Breeding populations of Black Meadowhawk, Sympetrum danae, in Arizona have been found only in high boggy wetlands in Apache Co. On 24 July 2011, during a visit to Page golf course ponds, Coconino Co. with Richard Bailowitz and Doug Danforth, Richard found a female at this location, thereby providing a first county record for the species.
Page is located in sagebrush desert, which is not the normal habitat of S. danae. However, Dennis Paulson (personal communication) indicates that the species in Washington State sometimes occurs in desert (sagebrush steppe) ponds.
The Emerald Spreadwing, Lestes dryas, in Arizona is known from relatively few locations in northern regions of the state. A female was found at the inlet to Willow Springs Lake, Coconino, on 27 July 2011 by Richard Bailowitz during a trip with him and Doug Danforth. This observation provides a new county record.
