Citrine Forktail, Ischnura hastata 0.8 - 1.1 inches in length.

The male of this tiny species is readily identifiable, being our only damselfly in the Northeast with a mostly yellow abdomen. Like other forktails, immature females are bright orange but with age the female becomes duller, marked in grays and olive.

Photographed 9 May 2004, Philadelphia PA. This female is ovipositing (laying eggs) on floating debris and vegetation. Like most forktails species, females oviposit alone. Another image of a mature female Citrine Forktail here.

Despite its subtle coloration and tiny size, the mature female is identifiable in the field. Top of the head black with small pale eyespots. Thorax has a wide black midfrontal stripe. There are no dark shoulder stripes. The shoulder areas and eyes are olive/brown. The abdomen is black above, becoming gray with the development of pruinosity.

Similar species: Mature female Eastern and Fragile Forktails usually show a hint of their black shoulder stripes and are gray in the shoulder area. Mature female Rambur's and Furtive Forktails are much larger, Rambur's having segments 1 & 2 mostly pale.