United States and Canada
This southeastern coastal species has only rarely been reported from as far west as Louisiana and Texas. It is distinctive among the striped emeralds in the region by having yellow on the outer surface of the otherwise brown tibiae. It is generally duller and not as metallic as our other sp ecies. The thorax is brown with two well-developed pale lateral stripes, the posterior much wider than the anterior. The wings are clear and the abdomen is dark brown, with the usual yellow basal stripes. Female ovipositor is short, triangular and directed ventrally.
Size: Total length: 47-50 mm; abdomen: 34-38 mm; hindwing: 32-34 mm.
Similar Species (south-central US): No other striped emerald in our area has yellow on the tibia. Shadowdragons (Neurocordulia) and baskettails (Epitheca) lack distinctive thoracic stripes.
Habitat: Pools and slow flowing tannin-stained forest streams.
Natural History: This species has been reported from a single parish/county in both Louisiana and Texas. Both specimens were collected in the early 1950's and are in the G.H. Beatty collection at the Pennsylvania State University. No additional collections of this species have been made in the region. Adults are generally encountered in the early or late afternoon, feeding 10-20 m above dirt roads and forest clearings. They perch on branches of trees. Egg laying usually occurs at midstream, with females flying erratically less than 1 m above the water.
Distribution: Southeast U.S.; coastal states from New Jersey to 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).
