|
| |||||
|
|
Cordulegaster dorsalis (Pacific Spiketail)BC conservation rank: S5. Yellow List.Description: The face is yellow with a dark line; blue eyes barely meet at a point on top of the head. The body is black, with yellow stripes on the thorax and yellow spots on top of the abdomen. Length: male 75 mm, female 80 mm. Global Range: Alaska and British Columbia south to Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and California (Needham et al. 2000). Faunal element: Cordilleran (see Appendix 2). BC Distribution: Coastal valleys; southern interior to about 51°N. Its presence in the Alaska Panhandle suggests Cordulegaster occurs along the entire BC mainland coast. Biology: One of our largest dragonflies. Fairly common along small coastal woodland streams flowing from lakes; rare east of the Coast Mountains in southern BC, and where it does occur, it flies along small warm streams, especially ones fed by springs. Egg-laying females hover vertically, moving up and down, shoving eggs into the sand and silt of the streambed. Perches vertically. BC flight period: early May to early September; most are recorded between mid June and mid August.
Cordulegaster dorsalis Map 3. Frequency of records in British Columbia by NTS 1/50,000 mapsheet. |
Previous Table of Contents Next
 |
||
 |
Copyright © Royal
BC Museum |
|
