Summary ⁵

The common whitetail or long-tailed skimmer (Plathemis lydia) is a common dragonfly across much of North America, with a striking and unusual appearance. The male's chunky white body (about 5 cm long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body and a different pattern of wing spots, closely resembling that of female Libellula pulchella, the twelve-spotted skimmer. Whitetail females can be distinguished by their smaller...

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Henry T. McLin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), https://www.flickr.com/photos/hmclin/523089113/
2. (c) myiarchus22, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3330/3440604410_96367184eb.jpg
3. (c) Matt Reinbold, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1221/572770906_66d493a351.jpg
4. (c) Mark Rosenstein, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7705107858_f4eda839ef_o.jpg
5. Adapted by Allie Hay from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libellula_lydia

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

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