In the saltmarsh along Caroline Creek in East Haven, CT, I found a mated pair of small black drfagonflies in the tandem position (male grasping the head of the female), and later determined they were Seaside Dragonlets, Erythrodiplax berenice. Great name, as "dragonlet" sort of means "small dragonfly", and this small skimmer is only about 1.3 in. long. "Seaside" refers to the unique habitat where it might be found, i.e. only along the coast, where it frequents eastern saltmarshes and mangroves from Canada down to Mexico. Actually, some population are found inland at saline lakes, but that's like the seaside in a way.
The pair will stay in the linked tandem formation until the female finishes laying her eggs on mats of algae in the nearby saltmarsh. No other dragonflies oviposit in saltmarsh, so correct identification is assured. Not much to say about the field marks, as this small slender species is mostly blue-black, with plain wings. The female Seaside Dragonlet is usually more colorful, with yellow or orange spots on the abdomen, but she gets black with age and then looks like the male, as here, except for one last spot of color on the abdomen.
Brief Taxonomy --
Order: Odonata - Dragonflies and Damselflies (5,000+ species)
Suborder: Anisoptera - DragonfliesFamily: Libelluidae - Skimmers and allies. Biggest dragonfly family, with 1,000+ species.
Genus: Erythrodiplax - Dragonlets. Large genus of mostly tropical new world skimmers, small to medium in size, with about 60 species. Only about 6 dragonlet species seen in the U.S.
Species: Erythrodiplax berenice - Seaside Dragonlet. They fly from mid-May to mid-September. Eat small insects and even small damselflies.
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