The chalk-fronted corporal (''Ladona julia'') is a

skimmer Skimmer may refer to: Animals *Skimmer (bird), a common name for birds in the genus ''Rynchops'' *Skimmer (dragonfly), a common name for dragonflies in the family Libellulidae *Water strider or skimmer, a common name for insects in the family Ge ...

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

found in the northern United States and southern Canada. Juveniles of both sexes are light reddish brown, with white shoulder stripes and a black stripe down the middle of the abdomen. As they mature, males develop a white pruinescence on the top of the thorax and at the base of the abdomen, while the rest of the abdomen turns black. Females become almost uniformly dark brown, with a dusting of gray pruinescence near the base of the abdomen; a few develop the same color pattern as the males. Chalk-fronted corporals often perch horizontally on the ground or on floating objects in the water, flying up to take prey from the air. They are gregarious for dragonflies, and are commonly seen perching in groups. They readily approach humans to feed on the mosquitoes and biting flies that humans attract.

Gallery

Ladona julia on stone 183504861.jpg, Males Chalk-fronted Corporal, female juvenile, Magnetawan River.jpg, Female juvenile Chalk-fronted Corporal, female juvenile, side-view, Magnetawan River.jpg, Female juvenile Libelle_7_db.jpg, Female Chalk-fronted_Corporal_(Ladona_julia)_-_Male_01.jpg, Male

References

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External links

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''Ladona'' species.
University of Minnesota
''Ladona julia''.
NJOdes: New Jersey Odonata
''Ladona julia''.
ITIS Libellulidae Odonata of North America Insects of the United States Insects of Canada Insects described in 1857 {{libellulidae-stub