The Dragonflies
(Insecta: Odonata)
of the Columbia Basin, British Columbia:
Field Surveys, Collections Development and Public Education
Table
of Contents
Return to Family Corduliidae
Epitheca Burmeister
Epitheca contains two species in British Columbia, and the
more common of the two, E. spinigera, lives in the Columbia
Basin. The adults are rather more stout and hairy than those of
Somatochlora and Cordulia, and they are brown and
yellow rather than greenish black. Females lay eggs in gelatinous
strands, and many individuals may contribute to communal egg masses.
The larvae are less hairy than those of other corduliids, and have
prominent dorsal and lateral spines on the broad abdomen.
Epitheca spinigera
(Selys)
Spiny Baskettail
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Provincial Status
CDC rank: S5
Widespread but uncommon in southern British Columbia. Columbia-Kootenay
Distribution
Widespread in the region, but recorded in only three places: Rock
Creek, Sirdar and Wasa Lake.
Global Distribution
British Columbia east to Nova Scotia; south to New Jersey, Kentucky,
Iowa, Montana and California (Bick and Mauffray 2000). Faunal element:
Transition (see Appendix 2).
Biological information
E. spinigera is an early flying species - most British Columbia
records are from June. Kootenay records range from 16 May to 17
June. In British Columbia, baskettails live in a variety of ponds,
lakes and marshes.
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