Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 14, 2026

Nannothemis

Nannothemis is a genus of dragonflies in the family Libellulidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Nannothemis bella, commonly known as the elfin skimmer. The elfin skimmer is native to the eastern United States and Canada, and is the smallest dragonfly in North America. Males are powdery blue, while females are black and yellow, resembling a wasp.

Last revised
Jul 14, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
256 w
Citations
7
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Nannothemis bella
Male
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Superfamily: Libelluloidea
Family: Libellulidae
Subfamily: Brachydiplacinae
Genus: Nannothemis
Brauer, 1868
Species:
N. bella
Binomial name
Nannothemis bella
(Uhler, 1857)

Nannothemis is a genus of dragonflies in the family Libellulidae. It is monotypic, being represented by the single species, Nannothemis bella, commonly known as the elfin skimmer.12345 The elfin skimmer is native to the eastern United States and Canada, and is the smallest dragonfly in North America.6 Males are powdery blue, while females are black and yellow, resembling a wasp.7

Nannothemis bella, female source ↗
References

References

  1. "Nannothemis Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  2. "Nannothemis". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
  3. "Odonata Central". Retrieved 2019-07-02.
  4. Paulson, D.; Schorr, M.; Abbott, J.; Bota-Sierra, C.; Deliry, C.; Dijkstra, K.-D.; Lozano, F. "World Odonata List". OdonataCentral. University of Alabama.
  5. "Elfin Skimmer". Maryland Biodiversity Project. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  6. "Nannothemis bella". Wisconsin Odonata Survey. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
Further reading

Further reading

  • Silsby, Jill (2001). Dragonflies of the World. Smithsonian Institution Press. ISBN 978-1560989592.
  • Steinmann, Henrik (1997). Wermuth, Heinz; Fischer, Maximilian (eds.). World Catalogue of Odonata, Volume II: Anisoptera. Das Tierreich. Vol. 111. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 978-3-11-014934-0.
  • Needham, James G.; Westfall Jr., Minter J. Jr.; May, Michael L. (2000). Dragonflies of North America. Scientific Publishers. ISBN 978-0-945417-94-1.
  • Kalkman, V. J. (2013). Studies on phylogeny and biogeography of damselflies (Odonata) with emphasis on the Argiolestidae (PhD). Leiden University. hdl:1887/22953.
External links