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Striped Meadowhawk - Sympetrum pallipes
Native Species
Global Rank:
G5
State Rank:
S5
Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:
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General Description
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Diagnostic Characteristics
Mature males are mostly red while immature males and females are greenish yellow to olive green. All are marked on each side of the thorax with a pair of diagonal yellowish stripes. The wings are clear but may occasionally be clouded with yellow where they attach to the body. The legs may appear yellow and have black spines.
A dark form occurs in western Montana, and a pale form occurs in the rest of the state (Miller and Gustafson 1996).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
This species is found from British Columbia east to Alberta, extending south into the U.S. to California east to Texas. It is common throughout Montana
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 335
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Striped Meadowhawks prefer habitats that include shallow, temporarily flooded marshes, ponds, and lakes, as well as fens, bogs and vegetated streams (Dunkle 2000, 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
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 Striped Meadowhawks maintain territories over grassy areas near the water. Oviposition is usually completed in tandem with mated pairs attracted by and flying to green grassy areas where eggs are dropped into the vegetation from above (Dunkle 2000, 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.- 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 "Striped Meadowhawk"
- Additional Sources of Information Related to "Insects"
