Sympetrum
occidentale
(Western Meadowhawk)
Description:
Naiad-
This is a small naiad with a length of 5/8 inch (16 mm). It is mottled green
and brown in color. The abdomen has several small hooks along the top, and the
last two abdominal segments have a small, single, rear-facing spine on each
side.
Adult- This
is a small dragonfly with a length
of 1 1/4 to 1 5/8 inches (31 to 40 mm). The key distinguishing feature is a
cloudy, orange-brown band that covers the inner half of each wing. The band
may appear darker towards the outside. Males
have a yellowish thorax, marked with wavy black lines on each side, and a red
to reddish brown abdomen, marked with black along the bottom edge of each side.
Females are olive to golden brown
and marked similarly.
Range:
This species is found from
British Columbia east to Alberta, extending south into the U.S. to California
east to Utah. It is common throughout Idaho.
Habitat:
This dragonfly can be
found in most types of ponds and lakes.
Adult Flight Season:
Mid-June to mid-October
Diet:
Naiad-
Naiads 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.
Ecology:
The naiads live in submerged
vegetation. They do not actively pursue prey but wait for it to pass by, a strategy
which affords them protection from other predators. Naiads emerge as adults
at night. Adults generally fly from mid-June to mid-October, resulting in a
long flight season in Idaho which lasts almost four months. The adults of this
species hunt flying insects from perches on rocks or bare branches. The Latin
name for this genus, Sympetrum, means "with rock" and refers to their habit
of basking on rocks to absorb heat early in the day. This species has been observed
being captured and eaten by larger species of dragonflies, especially the Olive
Clubtail (Stylurus olivaceous) at Massacre Rocks State Park, near American Falls,
Idaho.
Reproduction:
The female flies with
the male still attached after mating (a position called "in tandem") and lays
her eggs in lakes and ponds by dipping the tip her abdomen on the surface of
the water.
Conservation:
Populations
are widespread, abundant, and secure.
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Global Rank: | G5 |
State Rank: | S? |
References:
Corbet, P. S. 1999.
Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
New York, USA, 829pp.
Logan, E. R. 1967. The Odonata of Idaho. Unpublished M. S. thesis. University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA, 105 pp.
Needham, J. G. and M. J. Westfall. 1955. Dragonflies of North America. University of California Press, Berkely, California, USA, 615 pp.
Paulson, D. R. 1999. Dragonflies of Washington. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington, USA, 32 pp.
Walker, E. M. and P. S. Corbet. 1975. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska, Vol. III. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 307 pp.