The spiny baskettail (''Epitheca spinigera'') is a

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 ...

of the

Corduliidae The Corduliidae, also knowns as the emeralds, emerald dragonflies or green-eyed skimmers, is a family of dragonflies. These dragonflies are usually black or dark brown with areas of metallic green or yellow, and most of them have large, emerald-gr ...

family. Flight season is late May to early July.

Etymology

The scientific name, ''spinigera'', means spine-bearing. The males have a sharp looking spine that points downward from the cerci (at the end of the abdomen). The spine may be absent on rare occasions.

References

External links

Epitheca spinigera
on BugGuide.Net Corduliidae Insects described in 1871 {{Corduliidae-stub