Description: General color pale yellow-brown on thorax, orange abdomen. Black stigma contrasting whit golden anterior wings veins diagnostic, as is black spot al base of hindwings; orange patch at base of both wings.
Males: Eyes red above, blue-gray below; face red. Thorax reddish-brown in fornt, redder on sides. Abdomen yellow-orange, becoming yellow ventrally; brigth red apical posteroventral black spots on S5-8.
Females: Eyes red-brown above, pale blue-gray below. Similar to male but abdomen thicker. Thorax brown in fornt, yellowish-tan on sides. Abdomen orange-tan with same black markings as male. Legs yellowish-tan. Eyes of immature red-brown over pale greenish (Paulson, 2009).
Size: Total length: 33-42 mm; abdomen: 21-28 mm; hindwing: 25-32 mm.
Similar Species: Cardinal meadowhawk is the only species with similar wing spot, but it's more robust with redder wing veins, no black on sides of abdomen, and big white spots on thorax.
Habitat: Pools of hill streams, typically where there is much tall grass for perching in open or woodland.
Natural History: Males fly around and around over pools or perch on twigs and grass stems from near water surface to head height, often at high density; at other times defend small territories aggressively. Oviposition in tandem in shallow water among low emergent plants. Immatures sometimes common in tall grasses of breeding habitat, which furnishes only moist environment for them.
Distribution: Highlands Arizona and western Mexico.
Source:
Cannings, R. A. and R. W. Garrison. 1991. Sympetrum signiferum, a New Species of Dragonfly (Odonata: Libellulidae) from Western Mexico and Arizona. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 84(5):474-479
Paulson, D. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press. 536 pp.
Edited by Juan Cruzado (03/12/2017)
