Abstract
The damselflies Heteragrion erythrogastrum and Argia difficilis selected markedly different perching sites within the same forest. Heteragrion erythrogastrum perched only in deep shade and exhibited thoracic temperatures that were within 1.0 C of ambient. Conversely, A. difficilis perched in the most brightly lit areas and on sunny days exhibited thoracic temperatures between 4.4 and 8.4 C above ambient. During sunny conditions A. difficilis foraged approximately five times more frequently than H. erythrogastrum and made longer foraging flights as well. Subsequent observations of A. difficilis under varying conditions of light, however, revealed that thoracic temperature, foraging rate, and foraging flight distance all varied directly with incident light level. Thus, during overcast conditions A. difficilis exhibited thoracic temperatures and foraging behavior much like H. erythrogastrum. These results suggest that, for these ectothermic predators, foraging rate primarily reflects the energy demand associ...
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