Common Whitetail - Plathemis lydia
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S5
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
FWP Conservation Tier:
External Links
General Description
We do not yet have descriptive information on this species. Please try the buttons above to search for information from other sources.
General Distribution
Montana Range
Summary of Observations Submitted for Montana
Number of Observations: 98
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Records associated with a range of dates are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Common Whitetail habitat includes muddy bottomed ponds, lakes, marshes, slow streams and stream pools, as well as stock ponds and rarely even bogs (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
Food Habits
Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles.
Adult- The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
Reproductive Characteristics
Male Common Whitetails are highly territorial and defend oviposition sites aggressively. Females oviposit in flight, with guarding male hovering above, by tapping their abdomen into the water near floating vegetation or clumps of mud and often flicking water and eggs forward. Larvae are quite tolerant of pollution and low oxygen (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
References
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Common Whitetail"
- Additional Sources of Information Related to "Insects"
