Epitheca princeps

The prince baskettail (Epitheca princeps) has always been a very enchanting dragonfly to me.  When I first began collecting, this species seemed so majestic and elusive.  Massive green eyes (when living) and an abdomen that curls upward and outward like the letter "j" when this dragonfly is hanging from a tree branch, I hardly ever saw them anywhere within reach; they were always jetting high overhead and pinching insects from the air or patrolling territories of water, towering above of the other species.

A dorsal scan of an Epitheca princeps from the CDM.

The first time I caught a prince baskettail he was perching hanging from a willow-like tree about a foot and a half (six meters for those rebels who still use the "metric system") over my head.  Startled just by seeing one of these creatures sitting still, I nervously froze and questioned how I should approach him.  I felt like this was the so-called moment of truth, whatever that could mean.  Contemplating but not really being entirely conscious of my actions, I found myself in the air, grasping for the dragonfly.  And, before I knew it, my feet were back on the ground and the prince baskettail was IN MY HAND!!

Elated, I was sort of unsure of what to do.  I looked around and nobody had seen me so I was unable to get any witness testimonials.  However, this is true and you can trust me because I graduated Cum Laude from the University of Texas at Arlington.  For those of you who don't know, Cum Laude is the lowest of the Latin honors.  I'm not bragging...I'm just saying.

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