In the common whitetail and blue dasher dragonflies (Plathemis lydia and Pachydiplax longipennis), males display the pruinescence on the back of the abdomen to other males as a territorial threat.
In these typical dragonfly species, Plathemis lydia and Pachydiplax longipennis, male displays of pruinescence serve as a warning to other males about the boundaries of their territory.