Lestes disjunctus (Northern Spreadwing)

BC conservation rank: S5. Yellow List.
Description: The mature male's thorax has blue stripes on top, but turns pruinose grey with age; eyes are dark above and pale blue below. The top of abdominal segment 2 is usually completely pruinose in mature specimens (Simaika and Cannings 2004). On both sexes, the back of the head is black; this is especially useful in separating female L. disjunctus and L. unguiculatus. The male's lower appendages are long and straight (fig. 1). The end of the female's ovipositor does not reach the tip of the abdomen (fig. 2). Length: male 37 mm, female 35 mm.
Global Range: Alaska east to the Northwest Territories, Labrador and Newfoundland; south to Florida, Texas and California (Westfall and May 1996). Faunal element: Widespread (see Appendix 2).
BC Distribution: This is the most common and widespread Lestes, found almost everywhere odonates live in the province.
Biology: Common around most types of standing water with abundant aquatic vegetation (e.g.Gs01-03; Wm01-02, Wm04-07; Wf01, 05-08; Wb13, 50-52). There are more records of L. disjunctus from BC than for the other four spreadwings combined. In most places, L. disjunctus emerges after the first L. dryas adults but before most L. congener individuals. This temporal separation of species was documented in the Chilcotin by Cannings et al. (1980).
BC flight period: early June to mid October; collections mostly between early July and late August.

Lestes disjunctus male. Photograph: George Doerksen, RBCM

Lestes disjunctus Map 1. Geographical distribution and seasonal abundance of records in British Columbia.

Lestes disjunctus Map 2. Geographical distribution of records in British Columbia before and after organized surveys began in 1996.

Lestes disjunctus Map 3. Frequency of records in British Columbia by NTS 1/50,000 mapsheet.

Lestes disjunctus Map 4. Frequency of collection localities in British Columbia by NTS 1/50,000 mapsheet.