246 DRAGONFLIES OF NORTH AMERICA 
straight up. The object to be gained by such a position is not evident, 
for the abdomen makes a favorite mark for passing Libellulas to nip at.’’ 
49. Mrsoruemis Hagen* 
These are clear winged dragonflies of moderate size and striking 
coloration. The recently emerged adults have bodies of bright green 
color, with the abdomen ringed with black. Old specimens become 
wholly hoary, pruinose blue, only the head colors remaining unchanged. 
The first named species is of wide distribution and, sometimes, locally, 
it is very abudnant. It inhabits the weed beds of clear ponds and is to 
be sought about their borders, where it flies intermittently, resting 
much on the low vegetation, or on the bare earth of some open path. 
It is not very hard to capture. It flies through the summer season, 
having a rather long period of emergence. 
The nymph of this genus (Ndm. ’01, p. 527) is easily recognizable 
among allied forms by the strongly decurved inferior abdominal ap- 
pendages and by the very short, thick, stocky body with prominent 
green eyes. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
Adults 
1 Wings hyaline; abdomen stout............. simplicicollis, p. 246 
Wings with a basal brownish spot; abdomen slender............ 
PPV TROT ATL VLA LW SU Ab pa a i i Re a plebeja, p. 247 
231. Mesothemis simplicicollis Say 
Green Jacket 
Say ’39 p., 28: Mtk. Cat. p. 157: Whed. ’14, p. 102: Ris. ’11, p. 598: Howe ’20, 
p. 77: Smn. ’27, p. 35: Ndm. ’23, p. 120: Garm. ’27, p. 264. 
Length 44 mm. Expanse 68 mm. U.S., Ont. to B. C. 
A clear winged species of medium size, having a body of bright green when 
young, the abdomen ringed with black, becoming wholly pruinose blue with age. 
Face and vertex green with a transverse black stripe covering the middle ocellus. 
Thorax green, with crest and the depths of the lateral sutures narrowly lined with 
blackish. Legs black beyond coxae, front femora greenish below. Wings hyaline 
with tawny stigma. Abdomen with a middorsal line, and an apical transverse 
line that widens towards the apical segments, and an inferior lateral marginal 
line, black. Abdomen yellowish. 
This is a vigilant, if somewhat sedentary species. It squats on the 
bare ground, or on some floating logs or trash; or if on a twig, it 
* United with Erythemis Hagen, under the latter name by some authors. 
