New Jersey Endangered and Threatened Species Field Guide
Zoom+ An adult brush-tipped emerald. © Allen BarlowBrush-tipped emerald
Somatochlora walshii
Species Group: Invertebrate
Conservation Status
State: Special Concern
IDENTIFICATION
At 1.8”-1.9” in length, this is New Jersey’s smallest striped emerald. Its eyes are bright metallic green and the face has a yellow stripe and green metallic patch. The thorax is green and metallic bronze with a lateral yellow stripe and dot and the abdomen is short. The female is similar and has a scoop-like ovipositor.
Zoom+ Range of the brush-tipped emerald in New Jersey.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
The brush-tipped emerald was first recorded in New Jersey in 1982 and since then has been reported in a few locations in northern New Jersey. They inhabit open swamps and bogs with small streams flowing through them.
DIET
Larvae feed on aquatic invertebrates and adults on flying insects.
LIFE CYCLE
Adults are active from early June through the first week in August.
CURRENT STATUS, THREATS, AND CONSERVATION
The brush-tipped emerald is an uncommon dragonfly in New Jersey and therefore is considered a species of Special Concern in the state. Two threats facing this species are habitat modification and groundwater disturbance.
Text derived from the book, Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey. 2009. By Allen E. Barlow, David M. Golden and Jim Bangma. Edited and updated by Larissa Smith in 2011.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Corduliidae
Genus: Somatochlora
Species: S. walshii
Find Related Info: Invertebrates, Special concern
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