Family: Corduliidae
American Emerald		White-ringed Emerald
Ocellated Emerald		Mountain Emerald

Corduliidae: The Emeralds

Family Facts:

• This family is known as the Emeralds. Most of the members of this family have a metallic green or bronze color. The abdomen is usually long and slender. Most members of this family are medium sized, but there are a few that are small. In most species the eyes are bright emerald green.
• In North America, 49 species from seven genera belong to this family. In Idaho, there are four species in two genera.
• These dragonflies tend to occur farther north or at higher elevations than other dragonflies, except the Darners and Whitefaces.
• The naiads of these dragonflies are usually found in streams, bogs, or coldwater lakes. They are not found where oxygen content is low or water quality is otherwise poor. Because of their occurrence in colder climates, the nymphs may take several years to mature.
• The ovipositor of the females is greatly reduced, and the females lay eggs (oviposit) by dipping the tip of the abdomen in the water while hovering just above the surface. The females oviposit by themselves without a male in attendance.
• The naiads are short and squat, and don't move around much. Instead, they prefer to lay concealed on the bottom and wait for prey to come to them. As a result they are much less vulnerable to predation by fish than other more active naiads such as the Darners.
• The naiads emerge at night. Emergence is a slow process and the newly emerged adults are very vulnerable to predators. They usually crawl vertically on to vegetation and emerge while vertical.

Genus:Cordulia
There is only one North American species in this genus. These dragonflies are a solid metallic green with no markings on the sides of the thorax. The wings are unmarked. The naiads have stripes on the thorax.

Cordulia shurtleffi- American Emerald

Genus: Somatochlora
These dragonflies are metallic green with gold dots or stripes on the sides of the thorax. The face is usually at least partly yellow. Members of this genus range farther north than any other dragonflies. The naiads are uniform in color and are distinguished from those of Cordulia by the lack of stripes on the thorax.

Somatochlora albicincta- White-ringed Emerald
Somatochlora minor- Ocellated Emerald
Somatochlora semicircularis- Mountain Emerald