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Variable Dancer - Argia fumipennis
Native Species
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S4
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
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General Description
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Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
The Variable Dancer is comprised of three distinct subspecies. Two of these subspecies occur in the southeast of the country. All Variable Dancers in Montana are of the A. f. violacea subspecies, also sometimes called the Violet Dancer.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 74
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
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Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Vegetated streams and ponds as well as open sandy lakes are the prefered habitats of the Variable Dancer. They tend to occur commonly at riffles and within the vegetation along pools (Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Alkaline - Saline Wetlands
Peatland
Riparian and Wetland Forest
Riparian Shrubland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
Food Habits
Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp.
Adult- This damselfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
Reproductive Characteristics
Male Variable Dancers tend to perch on rocks and vegetation at the waterline. Oviposition is completed in tandem and females lay their eggs at the waterline on floating vegetation and live and dead stems, occasionally submerging completely. Sometimes multiple pairs will oviposit at the same breeding site (Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
Stewardship Responsibility
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Nikula, B., J. Sones, D.W. Stokes, and L.Q. Stokes. 2002. Stokes beginner's guide to dragonflies and damselflies. Boston: Little, Brown. 159 pp.- Paulson, D.R. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press, Princeton. 535 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Acorn, J. 2004. Damselflies of Alberta: flying neon toothpicks in grass. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press. 156 pp.
- Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies through binoculars: A field guide to dragonflies of North America. New York, NY. Oxford University Press. 266 pp.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Variable Dancer"
- Additional Sources of Information Related to "Insects"
