About Erythrodiplax berenice (Drury, 1773)
Erythrodiplax berenice, commonly called the seaside dragonlet, is a relatively small, slender-bodied skimmer dragonfly. Mature males develop a uniform black body covered in waxy pruinosity. The top of their eyes is dark red, and this color gradients to light green towards the bottom. Females share this same eye color gradient, from dark red on top to light green-gray below, but their body coloration is far more variable than males'. For females, the thorax usually has a lemon yellow to orange background marked with many black stripes, though some females have an entirely black thorax. The first three abdominal segments (S1-S3) and the final three abdominal segments (S8-S10) are most often black, and can occasionally be gold or orange. The middle abdominal segments (S4-S7) are typically orange on the upper side and black on the lower side, creating a chain-like pattern of orange. Common female color patterns include: thorax and abdomen mostly bright orange; black thorax with bright orange abdomen that darkens to black with age, matching the typical masculine appearance; and orange thorax with black stripes paired with a black abdomen.
