blue-fronted dancer

(Argia apicalis)

Conservation Status
blue-fronted dancer
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
           
 
Description
 
 

On the male, the face and thorax, including the top of the thorax, is bright blue. The dark shoulder stripes are thin. The top of abdominal segments 8, 9, and 10 are bright blue.

The spurs on the lower legs are long, twice as long as the space between them.

The wings are clear and are distinctly narrowed (stalked) at the base.

 
     
 

Size

 
 

Total length: 15 16 to 19 16

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Small, slow-moving rivers and streams; occasionally also on ponds and lakes.

 
     
 
Biology
 
 

Season

 
 

Mid-June to mid-September

 
     
 

Behavior

 
 

 

 
     
 

Life Cycle

 
 

 

 
     
 

Naiad Food

 
 

 

 
     
 

Adult Food

 
 

Flying insects

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

7, 18, 24, 29, 30.

 
  8/4/2016      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Fairly common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
 

Order

Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)  
 

Suborder

Zygoptera (damselflies)  
 

Superfamily

Coenagrionoidea  
 

Family

Coenagrionidae (narrow-winged damselflies)  
 

Genus

Argia  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

 

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

blue-fronted dancer

 
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this insect.

 
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Kirk Nelson

 
    blue-fronted dancer   blue-fronted dancer  
 

Andy Witchger

 
    blue-fronted dancer   blue-fronted dancer  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Male

 
    blue-fronted dancer   blue-fronted dancer  
           
 

Female

 
    blue-fronted dancer   blue-fronted dancer  
           
    blue-fronted dancer   blue-fronted dancer  
           
    blue-fronted dancer      
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Argia apicalis (Blue-fronted Dancer)
Allen Chartier
  Argia apicalis (Blue-fronted Dancer)  
     

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this insect.

 
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Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  Blue-fronted Dancer (Coenagrionidae: Argia apicalis) Female on Leaf
Carl Barrentine
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Jul 6, 2009

Photographed at East Grand Forks, Minnesota (06 July 2009).

 
  Blue-fronted Dancer checking me and my lens cap while I was filming
Meena Haribal
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on Nov 27, 2009

He glared at me as I videoed him. Once he came and checked me out by flying to the right of me and landing back at the same spot. Then he checked out my lens cap which is attached to the lens and hangs to the left and sat back in the same location and stared at me.

 
       

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this insect.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Robyn
8/5/2018

Location: Ney Nature Center pond, Henderson, MN 

   
  Kirk Nelson
7/24/2016

Location: Fort Snelling State Park, on the Picnic Island Trail

blue-fronted dancer  
  Andy Witchger
8/3/2016

Location: Slim Lake, St Louis County

blue-fronted dancer  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
   

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 8/4/2016

Last Updated:

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