Two of the most beautiful dragonflies in my area are Needham’s Skimmer, Libellula needhami, and the Golden-winged Skimmer, Libellula auripennis. Unfortunately, they are easy to confuse as both may be present in coastal areas. This is where the “wolf’s head” pattern of light color on the thorax can come in really handy. Below is a photo showing where the wolf’s head pattern can be found on a Great Blue Skimmer. Some of the skimmers have an even better wolf’s head pattern including ears, but at least this one shows the overall shape and the “nose” of the pattern. It also shows the humeral suture on the thorax which is important to note.
Here is my usual comparison chart for Needham’s Skimmer versus the Golden-winged Skimmer. After the chart, I’ll show photos that will hopefully show the differences between these two beautiful species. The Yellow-sided Skimmer, Libellula flavida, might also be included in this comparison chart because of the similarities of the females for these skimmers, but for the sake of simplicity, it isn’t included.
| Characteristic | Golden-winged Skimmer, male | Needham’s Skimmer, male | Golden-winged Skimmer, female | Needham’s Skimmer, female |
| Eyes | Reddish brown/orange over brown | Reddish orange eyes over greenish-brown | Brownish eyes | Brown eyes over pale greenish |
| Head/face | Red | Reddish orange | Paler face | Pale face, paler at the edges |
| Thorax and Stripes | Dull orange red or rust colored with a thin pale middorsal stripe. Sides of thorax mostly pale, but the pale color stops at the humeral suture. | Orange in front then paler/tan on sides. The pale color crosses the humeral suture slightly to form the nose of the wolf. | Pale thorax with wide brown shoulder stripes. Any paleness stops at the humeral suture. | Yellow with dark frontal stripes, the nose of the wolf extends forward past the humeral suture. |
| Wings | Wings tinted with amber, orange or red, the orange coloration of the costal vein is more uniform than in Needham’s. | The costal vein is orange and darker to the nodus than paler beyond compared to the Golden-winged, this gives the veins a bi-colored appearance. In brighter individuals the entire wing can be suffused with orange similar to the Golden-winged. | Washed with amber and perhaps slight wash of black at tips. Anterior margin of veins yellow or orange | The veins are dark with the anterior veins yellow except the basal part of the costa is dark before the nodus. |
| Pterostigma | Orange or red | Orange/red | Yellowish, turning red | Yellow |
| Legs | Hind tibia and most of femur are black | Brown hind legs | ||
| Abdomen | Paler at the base, then orange with a dark stripe down the middle, ending on S9 | Reddish orange with dark dorsal stripe that widens on S8 – S9. Often darker red than the Golden-winged Skimmer. | Yellow with dark stripe running from S2 – S9, widening on S8-9. | Pale basally but yellow throughout with a dark dorsal stripe that widens on S8 – S9. |
| S8 | Flange present | Only slight flange |
Here are a few examples of both Golden-winged Skimmers and Needham’s Skimmers. In the photos below, it is possible to see how the pale color on the thorax of the Golden-winged Skimmer stops cleanly at the humeral suture. On the other hand, the pale color on the thorax of the Needham’s Skimmer extends slightly past the humeral suture just above the leg.
You might also be able to distinguish the brown legs of the Needham’s and the black legs of the Golden-winged. The Needham’s is also redder overall, but that’s not always true.
Next we have the females and they are actually a little easier than the males as long as you can clearly see the thorax.
In the females, it’s easy to see how the pale color is cut off cleanly by the brown shoulder stripe which follows the humeral suture on the Golden-winged Skimmer. On the Needham’s, the pale color of the wolf’s head pattern extends past the humeral suture just above the legs to form the nose of the wolf. Also note the black legs of the Golden-winged and brown of the Needham’s Skimmer. In both photos, the flange on S8 is also visible and it’s just barely possible to see how the dark dorsal stripe thickens at the end (starting at S8).
While most folks may find that these two species do not occur together, we are located about 50 miles from the coast and have both species at this time of year.
Hopefully this information will make it easier to identify which of these gorgeous dragonflies is present and if you’re lucky, perhaps both will be!
Oh, and today Moth Week starts. I intend to put out a lightsheet with some UV lights to see what is flitting around in the darkness tonight. With any luck, I may have some interesting moths to include in the next post.
