Identification

Field Marks

• Average adult size is approximately from 1.1 to 1.6 inches
• Dark face with metallic green tint and a lot of hairs on the frons
• Bight metallic green eyes
• Thorax is brown-bronze and metallic green with no yellow stripes
• Black legs
• No cross vein in the forewing triangle
• Dark abdomen with yellow ring encircling where segments 2 and 3 join and yellow patches on the underside of segments 2 and 3
• End of abdomen widely clubbed, like a racket

Field Marks

• Female is colored similarly to the male
• Yellow patches on segment 3 are brighter and extend higher on female than they do on the males, on the females it is visible when looking at them from above
• Female less clubbing in the end of the abdomen than on the males
• Subgenital plates rounded, extending about one third the length of segment 9

Behavior

Often found away from the water foraging around roads, paths and forest openings. Racket-tails will often swarm around humans to hunt insects that are attracted to people. They perch more often than other species of emeralds often perching on leaves, logs, rocks or the ground

Habitat

Lakes, ponds, slow-moving streams usually with marshy or boggy shorelines

Reproduction

Females lay eggs by dipping abdomen into open water or near floating vegetation