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Black Meadowhawk - Sympetrum danae
Native Species
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S5
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
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General Description
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Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
The distribution of this dragonfly is circumboreal, which means it occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In North America, it ranges from Alaska east to Hudson Bay, extending south into the U.S. to northern California east to Kentucky and Maine. It is also found across Siberia into northern Europe (Nature Serve 2006). Common in western Montana (Miller and Gustafson 1996).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 274
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Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
The Black Meadowhawk prefers shallow lakes and ponds, fens, bogs, marshes, and occasionally saline water conditions as breeding habitat (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Alkaline - Saline Wetlands
Alpine Riparian and Wetland
Peatland
Riparian and Wetland Forest
Riparian Shrubland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
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 Black Meadowhawks are not very territorial, rather they wait for females or fly search patterns at the water; some males even locate females away from breeding sites. Females and tandem pairs oviposit into the open water, onto moss, in mud, or simply drop their eggs in flight (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009).
Stewardship Responsibility
Threats or Limiting Factors
Populations are widespread, abundant, and secure.
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication- Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies through binoculars: A field guide to dragonflies of North America. New York, NY. Oxford University Press. 266 pp.
Miller, K.B. and D.L. Gustafson. 1996. Distribution records of the Odonata of Montana. Bulletin of American Odonatology 3(4):75-88.- NatureServe. 2006. NatureServe Explorer: An on-line encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 4.7. Arlington, Virginia.
- Nikula, B., J. Sones, D.W. Stokes, and L.Q. Stokes. 2002. Stokes beginner's guide to dragonflies and damselflies. Boston: Little, Brown. 159 pp.
- Paulson, D.R. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press, Princeton. 535 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Acorn, J. 2004. Damselflies of Alberta: flying neon toothpicks in grass. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press. 156 pp.
- Nelson, Howard E. 1953. The summer dragonflies of Flathead Valley, Montana. M.A. Thesis. University of Montana. Missoula, MT.
- Sater, S. 2022. The insects of Sevenmile Creek, a pictorial guide to their diversity and ecology. Undergraduate Thesis. Helena, MT: Carroll College. 242 p.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Black Meadowhawk"
- Additional Sources of Information Related to "Insects"
