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Skimmers
Libellulidae
The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded (as Silsby does), there still remains a family of over 1000 species. With nearly worldwide distribution, these are almost certainly the most often seen of all dragonflies.
60 branches of this family, most-observed first · about 1,041 known species
Meadowhawks
genusSympetrum
Chasers and King Skimmers
genusLibellula
Orthetrum
genusOrthetrum
Pondhawks
genusErythemis
Pachydiplax
genusPachydiplax
Whitetails
genusPlathemis
Small Pennants
genusCelithemis
Scarlet Skimmers
genusCrocothemis
Dropwings
genusTrithemis
Amberwings
genusPerithemis
Dragonlets
genusErythrodiplax
Perchers
genusDiplacodes
Saddlebag Gliders
genusTramea
Grasshawks
genusNeurothemis
Whitefaces
genusLeucorrhinia
Rainpool Gliders
genusPantala
Tropical King Skimmers
genusOrthemis
Corporals
genusLadona
Groundlings
genusBrachythemis
Flutterers
genusRhyothemis
Setwings
genusDythemis
Tropical Pennants
genusBrachymesia
Brachydiplax
genusBrachydiplax
Speckled Dashers
genusMicrathyria
Tholymis
genusTholymis
Pintails
genusAcisoma
Widows
genusPalpopleura
Baskers
genusUrothemis
Potamarcha
genusPotamarcha
Rhodothemis
genusRhodothemis
Coastal Pennants
genusMacrodiplax
Lathrecista
genusLathrecista
Agrionoptera
genusAgrionoptera
Woodskimmers
genusUracis
Aethriamanta
genusAethriamanta
Pseudothemis
genusPseudothemis
Rockdwellers
genusBradinopyga
Lyriothemis
genusLyriothemis
Rock Skimmers
genusPaltothemis
Pseudoleon
genusPseudoleon
Duskdarters
genusZyxomma
Forest Skimmers
genusCratilla
Nannothemis
genusNannothemis
Clubskimmers
genusBrechmorhoga
Treehuggers
genusTyriobapta
Sentinels
genusOrchithemis
Elfs
genusTetrathemis
Pygmyflies
genusNannophya
Cascaders
genusZygonyx
Miathyria
genusMiathyria
Sylphs
genusMacrothemis
Blacktails and Peppertails
genusNesciothemis
Convict Skimmers
genusCannaphila
Nannodiplax
genusNannodiplax
Water Monarchs
genusHydrobasileus
Archtails
genusNannophlebia
Demons
genusIndothemis
Selysiothemis
genusSelysiothemis
Diastatops
genusDiastatops
Camacinia
genusCamacinia
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Libellulidae in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 47819.