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Perithemis tenera

Perithemis tenera

Ambarina del Este

Family: Libellulidae
Order: Odonata
Class: Insecta
Phylum / Division: Arthropoda
Kingdom: Animalia

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Synonyms: Perithemis mooma.





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Description


The eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is very small, reaching a total length of no more than 25 mm. The males have orange or amber wings, which likely contain pheomelanin. Both sexes have a red pterostigma. It is found in eastern North America, from northern Mexico north to south-eastern Canada.

The eastern amberwing dragonfly is one of the only types of dragonfly that actively mimics a wasp. The yellow and brown stripes on its abdomen encourage predators to stay away. When perched, they wiggle their abdomen and wings in a wasp-like fashion to deter other animals from eating it. Males have an elaborate courtship ritual. When a female approaches his territory, the male will lead her to his selected egg-laying site and hover above it with wings whirring and abdomen raised.

The common name refers to its eastern range, although this dragonfly does extend westward well into the central part of the United States. The scientific name, tenera, means delicate and alludes to its small size.

Source: Wikipedia, article Perithemis tenera. Content adapted from Wikipedia, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Accessed on 15/07/2026.





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Species photographs

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Foto
Photography ID: 319590
  Adult

Termas de Arapey
Salto
Uruguay
02/27/2019
Mauricio Silvera



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Page 1
Record IDDateExact timeCountryProvince / departmentPlaceFilmedPhotographedRecorded vocalObservedHeardWounded or deadNumber of individualsUser or BibliographyDetail
89196027/02/2019UruguaySaltoTermas de ArapeyMauricio Silvera
Page 1

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Recommended citation
Please use the following reference when citing this species account.
EcoRegistros. 2026. Perithemis tenera – Species account. Accessed from www.ecoregistros.org on 14/09/2026.