Eocene Green River Damselfly IF-PCM-16-035

Dysagrion packardii (Scudder)
Green River Formation
Parachute Creek Member
Middle Eocene
Uintah County, Utah

This specimen has a complete head and thorax with a partial tail.  The wings are absent.  Legs are well preserved.  The insect is over 2 cm.

Damselflies and dragonflies are some of the largest and most beautiful insects found in the Green River Formation.  Damselflies are day-flying predaceous insects that feed mostly on smaller insects.  Immature stages (nymphs) are freshwater aquatic, and adults spend much of their lives on the wing nearby and explains their presence as part of the preserved insect fauna.