United States and Canada
This western desert species is uncommon in the region. It is distinct in life, with its white face and uniquely white eyes. The top of the vertex and occiput are white, so that the head is predominately pale in color. The thorax is brown in front with a broad pale middorsal stripe. The sides are pale white or olivaceous with two black stripes on the humeral and third lateral sutures. The stripes are thinly connected above and below by an irregular line. The legs are distinctly pale basally, but become black beyond. The wings are marked with brown basally, extending out to the arculus and there is a smaller spot on the nodus. The costa are bright yellow with the other veins black. The abdomen is dark with broad middorsal and lateral stripes and a black band posteriorly on each segment giving it th e appearance of large quadrate spots, each becoming smaller on subsequent segments. The latter half of the abdomen in the male is entirely black. The is a slight expansion laterally on segment 8 in females.
Size: Total length: 42-48 mm; abdomen: 28-33 mm; hindwing: 33-37 mm.
Similar Species (south-central US): Marl Pennant (Macrodiplax balteata) is smaller, lacks wing spot at the nodus and does not have whitish pruinosity. Segments 1-6 of Four-spotted Skimmer (L. quadrimaculata) are brown dorsally.
Habitat: Desert alkaline ponds and lakes, often associated with springs.
Natural History: This species is uncommon and largely restricted to habitats with alkaline waters. Some of the species often associated with it include Desert Whitetail (Plathemis subornata), Eight-spotted (L. forensis ) and Flame (L. saturata ) Skimmer. Little is known of the biology of this species, but females lay eggs in tandem. Males are active patrollers flying both near the shore line and out over the middle of the water.
Distribution: Western U.S. including Big Bend of Texas
Source: Abbott, J.C. 2006-2010. OdonataCentral: An online resource for the distribution and identification of Odonata. Available at OdonataCentral.
Edited by Drew Weber (9/24/2015).
