Bug FAQRed-tailed Pennant
Brachymesia furcata · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
Also called: Red-taled Pennant
Adult red-tailed pennants have a bright red abdomen that sets them apart from other species in the genus. They live near fresh or slightly salty water such as marshes, ponds, and lakes across the Caribbean, the Americas, Argentina, the West Indies, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Adults hunt small flying insects like flies and mosquitoes, while their life cycle includes egg, nymph, and adult stages that develop quickly depending on local conditions.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The most obvious field mark is the vivid red tail of the adult.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found in semi-aquatic habitats such as marshes, ponds, lakes, and mildly saline waters.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults feed on small flying insects, especially flies and mosquitoes.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The species goes through egg, nymph, and adult stages like other dragonflies. The whole life cycle is relatively fast, but timing varies with local conditions.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range includes the Caribbean, the Americas, Argentina, the West Indies, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Close relatives B. gravida and B. herbida share similar habitats and can be confused with B. furcata.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Georgia.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where am I likely to see this dragonfly?
Near marshes, ponds, lakes, or slightly salty water in the Caribbean, the Americas, Argentina, the West Indies, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the red-tailed pennant eat?
It catches and eats small flying insects such as flies and mosquitoes.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachymesia_furcata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.