514 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



KEY TO SPECIES OF CELITHEMIS 



Iinagos 



a Wings spotted with brown beyond the nodus 



h Expanse of wings at least 65 mm ; a band of brown on the wings at the 



nodus reaching almost across the wings eponina 



hh Expanse of wings not over 60 mm ; a small rounded spot of brown just 



beyond the nodus elisa 



aa Wings with no brown markings except at base ornata 



JVymp/is 



a Unknown ornata 



aa Dorsal hooks well developed on abdominal segments 4 to 7, longest 

 on segment 6 and sharp ; lateral spines of the ninth segment reaching 

 level of the apices of the inferior appendages ; lateral setae eight or 



nine eponina 



aaa Dorsal hooks weakly developed on segments 5 to 7, short, but pointed ; 

 lateral spines of the ninth segment attaining only the level of the tip 

 of the superior appendage; lateral setae seven elisa 



Celithemis eponina Drury 



Plate 24, fig. 2 

 1773 Lib ell u la eponina Drury, Illus. exotic ins. v. 2, pi. 47, fig. 2 

 1861 Celithemis eponina Hagen, Synopsis Neur. N. Am. p. 147 

 1875 C el it hem is eponina Hagen, Bost. soc. nat. hist. Proc. 18:66-67 

 1893 Celithemis eponina Calvert, Am. ent. soc. Trans. 20:261 (des- 

 cription) 

 1895-97 Celithemis eponina N. Y. ent. soc. Jour. 3:48 and 5:94 (listed 

 from Westchester co. New York, Lake Bluff, Wayne co.) 



1898 Celithemis eponina Needham, Outdoor studies, p. 60, fig. 60, 



(habits) 



1899 C eli themis eponina Kellicott, Odon. Ohio, p. 103 



1900 Celithemis eponina Williamson, Dragon flies Ind. p. 318 



This beautiful skimmer is abroad about the latter end of June and the 

 first weeks of July in our latitude. It frequents the borders of ponds 

 and neighboring grassy slopes, and sometimes when foraging, it is carried 

 far from water by the winds. Its flight is not the swiftest or the most 

 continuous, and there is a flutter to it suggestive of the flight of a butterfly. 

 So far as I have observed, the female in ovipositing is held by the male, 

 and both are apt to be seen on windy days when other species are in 

 shelter, dipping to the surfaces of foaming waves, far out from shore. 

 The eggs are better distributed than in most related species, and, pos- 

 sibly for this reason, they seem to be somewhat fewer, and of larger size. 

 Each egg is rotund oblong, whitish at first, soon turning yellowish. 



