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...

Distribution ⁶

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Henry T. McLin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/95014738@N00/514077463
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) Tim Hite, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tim Hite
5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plathemis_lydia
6. (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28955967

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• BugGuide
• CalPhotos
• CUIC Insect Images
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• Maryland Biodiversity Project
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

iNat Map