The Hine’s emerald dragonfly, also known as the Ohio emerald dragonfly, is a fairly large dragonfly. It has a yellow labrum (pronounced LAY–brum; upper part of the mouth), metallic green frons (front of the head capsule), and black leg segments.
On its dark thorax (body segment between the head and abdomen) are two yellow stripes. The second of these stripes is slightly wider and shorter than the first.
Biologists (people who study living organisms) have very little information about this insect’s feeding and breeding habits.
Habitat and current distribution
In 1997, the Hine’s emerald dragonfly was discovered in three separate locations in Mackinac County in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Prior to this discovery, the dragonfly had been sighted at two sites in Illinois and six sites in Wisconsin.
This dragonfly prefers to inhabit bogs, which are areas of wet spongy ground composed chiefly of peat (soil made up mainly of decaying plant matter). In Michigan, this dragonfly was found inhabiting fen meadows, low–lying grassy areas covered wholly or partially with water.
History and conservation measures
Biologists have not collected specimens from any of these areas since 1953, and they now believe the dragonfly has disappeared completely from this former range.
Habitat destruction is the primary cause for the decline of this species. Wetlands throughout the dragonfly’s former range were drained to create urban and commercial areas. The draining of wetlands remains a major threat to the Hine’s emerald dragonfly.
