Species of the Month

June Species of the Month: Olive Clubtail (Stylurus olivaceus)

Stylurus olivaceus male. Vancouver, WA, 15 August 2008. Photo by Jim Johnson (Used with permission).

DSA’s June Species of the Month is the Olive Clubtail (Stylurus olivaceus), a medium-sized dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. It is a river species found from California and Utah north to British Columbia, and is approximately 60 mm long (just under two and a half inches or less).  Enjoy dragonfly expert Rob Cannings’ stories of this rare species.

Hanging from a Leaf in British Columbia 

I grew up along the Okanagan River in southern British Columbia. When I return to my hometown of Penticton, I walk the river dikes, watch the mergansers on the river and listen to the catbirds and orioles in the dogwoods and cottonwood trees. I’m an entomologist, though, with a special interest in dragonflies, and I love to keep track of these bold, beautiful insects along the river. The rarest of the rare here is the Olive Clubtail, Stylurus olivaceus.

In the late 1920s, more than three decades before the river was straightened, dredged, and dammed to control flooding, my father used to paddle his home-made kayak on the river. When I was a kid he’d tell me of his adventures there. “Birches hung over the gravelly riffles and willows lined the sandbars along the slower flowing, meandering reaches,” he’d say. “We’d explore all day in the woods along the shore, in the cattail marshes and wet meadows that lined the old oxbows.” I’d listen raptly to his boyhood stories of a landscape now almost completely gone. The river empties out of 80-mile-long Okanagan Lake and winds south to join the Columbia River in Washington State. It used to flow through riparian woods in sage and antelope-brush grasslands. Now, much of the land along the river is rich farmland or urban development.  

Stylurus olivaceus male and female mating. Vancouver, WA, 19 September 2006. Photo by Jim Johnson (Used with permission).

Olive Clubtails are seldom found anywhere along the Canadian part of the Okanagan River. The channel bottom is lined with rocks and boulders; the sand and silt the larvae need for burrowing is scarce and patchy.  

For evidence of larvae, I look for an exuvia, the cast skin of the last larval stage, which remains clinging to shoreline debris after the adult has emerged and flown away. I’ve never found exuviae on this river. And the trees and shrubs that the adult dragonflies love to perch on beside the water are mostly gone, replaced by grasses and weeds.

Figure 3. Stylurus olivaceus larva, buried in sand, preying on cranefly larva. Illustration by Rob Cannings (Used with permission).

 In all my Okanagan River dike-walking I’ve found only three adults. The first one was camouflaged like a gray-green and black twig, perched flat on the dusty trail at Osoyoos Lake, almost at the US border. On another walk much later, I saw one flying over the river. After a while it flew towards a lone tree on the dike. “Aha!”, I thought, “It landed there!” Stylurus dragonflies are called “Hanging Clubtails” because they usually perch on the leaves of trees or shrubs, bending the twig until they are hanging almost vertically.  Sneaking up, I searched the lower branches for minutes before I saw the dragonfly hanging from a leaf, just as it was supposed to do! My third sighting was of a male flying up the river, fast and straight as an arrow, not stopping for anyone.

Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls, BC, 24 September 2009. Photo by Richard Cannings (Used with permission).

There are only three small, separate populations of the Olive Clubtail in BC (and all of Canada). Most that I’ve studied live at the most northerly place the species is known – the Thompson River near Kamloops, about 80 air miles northwest of Penticton. For about 35 miles east of the city, this big river flows through sagebrush, farms and riverside suburbs, the water warmed to 21 or 22ºC (about 70-71℉) in summer from its stay in the huge Shuswap Lake to the east. At Kamloops, it’s joined by the North Thompson River, with its colder waters draining mountain snowfields. Here the water is about 18ºC (64℉) at dragonfly emergence time and I suspect the water is too cold for Olive Clubtails at this time of year. I’ve never seen this species in the North Thompson, even though other conditions such as sediment and stream flow seem perfect. Downstream from Kamloops the Thompson River flows faster and the riverbed is filled with boulders which, as we saw in the Okanagan River, is a habitat disliked by these dragonflies.

It’s ironic that one of the best places anywhere to find the Olive Clubtail---such a lover of warm climates----is as far north as they can live. But here much of the habitat is still good – a sandy, silty riverbed; stable banks clothed with emergent water plants such as rushes and horsetails; riverside willows and introduced Russian Olive trees hanging over the water.

Certainly, there are stretches where cattle have trampled the shore, where irrigation water has eroded the banks, and where rocky fill has been dumped to support the railway line and subdivisions full of houses. But there is still enough good shoreline to support a decent population of dragonflies. In some places I picked up an exuvia for every yard of sandy riverbank I walked. They lie among the detritus of high water in the patches of horsetails and rushes and are coated in a thin layer of silt, a reminder of the larva’s burrowing life.

South Thompson River, near Kamloops, BC, 25 August 2008. Photo by Rob Cannings (Used with permission).

Luckily, the habitat does not need to be pristine. The clubtail can tolerate some disturbance and habitat damage. I found exuviae in the imprints of cow hooves and observed some adults emerging at a busy boat launch. But I imagine carp and other introduced, bottom-feeding fish can damage the population by disturbing the bottom mud or eating the larvae. Motorboats speeding by stir up the bottom silt and erode the sandy banks with their wakes.

Along the river here in mid-August the adult dragonflies emerge, pale and vulnerable, easy pickings for blackbirds and kingbirds.

Stylurus olivaceus exuvia. South Thompson River, near Kamloops, BC, 25 August 2008.  Photo by Rob Cannings (Used with permission).

I suppose the clubtails fly back in the grasslands to hunt and mature for several days, later returning to the river to mate and lay eggs. In late August and September, now and again, I’ve watched a male patrolling over the current, chasing down a female, the pair then disappearing into the trees while they mate. Later, the female flies fast out over the river, dipping her abdomen into the water and washing off the eggs.

Because these populations are small and fragmented and the few stretches of rivers where it lives are vulnerable, the Olive Clubtail is considered an endangered species in Canada. Its future is of less concern in the western United States where it is more widespread. In some places, such as the Lower Columbia River, it is common.  Downriver of Portland it even lives in waters affected by the tides where it seems to tolerate some salinity.

Stylurus olivaceus teneral female. South Thompson River, near Kamloops, BC, 15 August 2008. Photo by Darren Copley (Used with permission).

The Olive Clubtail is characteristic of the big rivers of the dry West. Although in many places it’s been hit hard by the upheavals humans have brought to its home, and is now rare, it remains common in some localities. It’s a symbol of perseverance in a rapidly changing landscape. 

This essay is abridged from a chapter written by Rob in Wading for Bugs: Exploring Streams with the Experts. Published by Oregon State University Press (2011). It is presented here with permission from OSU Press.

Rob Cannings is Curator Emeritus of Entomology at the Royal BC Museum, where he was curator from 1980 to 2013. He grew up beside an Okanagan Valley grassland in a family known across Canada for its contributions to natural history and conservation. Rob’s research interests focus on insect systematics and faunistics, especially in the Odonata and Asilidae, but he publishes widely on many insect groups.  He is the author or co-author of six books, including Introducing the Dragonflies of British Columbia and the Yukon (2002)

Species of the Month

May Species of the Month: Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis)

Male Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis), photo copyright Ray Bruun (2007), Shingletown, Shasta County, CA.

Our May Species of the Month is the Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis), a large dragonfly in the family Cordulegastridae. At 70-85 mm long (around 3 inches or more), it is found in forest streams along the Pacific coast and in the Baja, California area —and sometimes, in areas you might not expect! Read on to learn about dragonfly chaser Kathy Biggs’ adventure with this species.

How the Ovipositing of the Pacific Spiketail Evaded Our Detection for 13 Unlucky Years

When you write a field guide, people expect you to be an expert.  I am the author of Common Dragonflies of California, A Beginner’s Pocket Guide, and my husband Dave and I give dragonfly programs in California. The Pacific Spiketail is an especially beautiful species, with its bright blue eyes and dramatic black and yellow markings.When I show the slide of this species during my PowerPoint programs, I talk  about its unique ovipositing strategy. The female holds her abdomen perpendicular to the ground, and oviposits—not so much into the water— as into the shallow muddy margin of a flowing small creek.

However, Dave and I had not actually seen this behavior. When I mentioned this in my programs,  folks started sending me photos of ovipositing Pacific Spiketails. Some even sent video clips! Year after year, we’d give programs and admit we had never seen the activity. Folks in our “CalOdes'' discussion group would gently chide us about it. It was getting to be embarrassing; especially after a dozen years went by.

Female Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis), photo copyright Kathy Biggs, Sonoma County, CA (undated).

 The Thirteenth Year

Year 13 was an unlucky year for us. Dave fell off the 10-foot high roof of our summer home in California’s Cascade Mountains, fracturing his pelvis. He ended up in the hospital for a few days, and had to use a walker to help him get around when we returned to our San Francisco Bay area home, where he recuperated. I was scheduled to give a program during this time,  but without Dave’s help. Dave is  my “right hand man, projector operator, net provider, and the love of my life.” That’s how I introduce him! This time, I gave the program alone and— once again— I had to admit to my audience to never having witnessed the Pacific Spiketail ovipositing.

Made in the Shade

After a few weeks, we returned to our mountain home, and then to the hospital to return Dave’s walker. The hospital is in a marshy area, and as mitigation, they had put in a pond with small entry and exit creeks. When we got to the hospital, I said to Dave,  “It’s so lovely out, and we’ve made the half hour drive to get here, let’s walk around the grounds and see what dragonflies we can find.” Dave agreed.

Ovipositing Pacific Spiketail (Cordulegaster dorsalis), photo copyright Don Roberson, Siskiyou County, CA, (2007).

 Voila!  There she was!! A female Pacific Spiketail ovipositing! We quickly realized why we’d never seen this before. She was ovipositing in the shade, and we’d always looked in the sunny areas. Although this wasn’t our first sighting of Cordulegaster dorsalis, it was our first experience with their unique ovipositing behavior.

I was finally able to give dragonfly programs and talks and mention Spiketails without cringing! And “13” didn’t seem as unlucky as it had at the beginning of that year.

Our May guest blogger is Kathy Biggs, who has been a nature lover all her life. When she built a wildlife pond in her Sebastopol, Ca backyard in 1996, dragonflies arrived and she found her true passion. Wanting to share her passion, she developed websites for her wildlife ponds, California Dragonflies, Southwest Dragonflies and most recently A First Guide to the Dragonflies of Jalisco. The websites matured and grew into Kathy's becoming the author of California’s first Dragonfly Guide, Common Dragonflies of California, the Southwest’s first dragonfly guide, Common Dragonflies of Southwest, a dragonfly color and learn book and her latest publication, Dragonflies of the Greater Southwest. Kathy manages the Groups CalOdes and Building Ponds for Wildlife.  And is the vetter for CA on Odonata Central. She hopes she can inspire you to get to know the dragonflies and the wetlands that support them.

Species of the Month

April Species of the Month: Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica)

Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica) male, Clatsop Co., Oregon, USA, 18 Jun 2018. (Copyright Jim Johnson)

April’s Species of the Month is the Swift Forktail, Ischnura erratica, in the narrow-winged damselfly family Coenagrionidae. They are one of the largest forktails at about 33 mm (approximately 1.3 inches) in length.  This damselfly is found in bogs, ponds, and areas of open, clear water in the Pacific Northwest (British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon, and Northwest California). Read on to discover dragonfly chaser Jim Johnson’s anticipation of this early season species.

Watching for Odes

The anticipation for spring and the first odonates of the year is high as I write this from my home in Vancouver, Washington. The tension is like watching a balloon inflate beyond its intended limits: you know it’s going to burst at any moment, but you don’t know exactly when. A favorite early spring odonate that I  look forward to seeing when the “balloon pops'' is the striking Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica)—one of the few odonates that could be described as a uniquely Pacific Northwest species.

Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica), immature female, Clatsop Co., Oregon, USA, 22 May 2015. (Copyright Jim Johnson)

 Though not a rare species along the west coast of North America (southern British Columbia to central California), the Swift Forktail is encountered less frequently than its more abundant and ubiquitous western congeners (Pacific Forktail, Ischnura cervula, and Western Forktail, I. perparva). I suppose these fewer encounters contribute to its appeal—absence does make the heart grow fonder. The Swift Forktail  also has a shorter flight season than the other species with few sightings beyond early August. 

Swift Forktail Habitat

In my experience the Swift Forktail prefers wetlands containing a mixed mosaic of dense emergent vegetation and open, clear water. Some ideal locations are sedge wetlands, beaver ponds, bog ponds, and well-vegetated, slow-flowing ditches. They are also commonly encountered along sun-dappled paths and roads in forested locations where they feed on mosquitoes and other small flying insects while, presumably, taking a break from the bustle of pond life. I mostly associate this species with coastal Oregon and Washington, but they also occur up to the mountain passes of the Cascades Range (and only sporadically further east).

Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica), gynochromatic (“female colored”) female, Tillamook Co., Oregon, USA, 3 Jul 2016. (Copyright Jim Johnson)

 Putting the “Fork” in “Forktail”

The Swift Forktail is a relatively large, robust species of Ischnura with a boldly striped black-and-blue thorax and (usually) an extra long blue patch near the tip of an otherwise mostly black abdomen. They are quite the dapper damsels, but I think the most striking features of the male are located at his rear end. The paraprocts are long and spiky, extending almost straight toward the rear like daggers. The notched dorsal process on the last abdominal segment (the thing that puts the “fork” in “forktail”) is very prominent, rising well above the segment. Because of these structures at the end of the abdomen, males possess a unique profile which renders them easily recognizable even if you ignore their coloration.

Swift Forktail (Ischnura erratica), androchromatic (“male colored”) female, Marion Co., Oregon, USA, 6 Jun 2014. (Copyright Jim Johnson)

Female Swift Forktails

Like many species in the genus, female Swift Forktails are polychromatic. Some are colored conspicuously much like males (androchromatic or homeochromatic); others dull green and less clearly patterned (gynochromatic or heterochromatic). Immatures of the latter females are striking in their own right for a short time with bold orange eye spots and thoracic striping. The orange markings quickly transition to dull yellowish-green as they mature, so I always enjoy observing these blazing beauties when I get the opportunity.

 I will now return to monitoring the long-range weather forecast to see when that “balloon” might pop and I can again observe one of my favorite Pacific Northwest odonates.

Our April Species of the Month blogger is Jim Johnson (gomphusjim@gmail.com). Jim has been chasing odonates since 1995—mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but also elsewhere whenever the travel bug bites. He enjoys photography and outreach through writing and speaking. Jim has served on the DSA executive council as a regular member, president, and (currently) secretary, and he has been a member of the ARGIA/BAO editorial team since 2005. Accusers claim that Jim is obsessed with Odonata, and he agrees.

Species of the Month

March Species of the Month: Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegaster obliqua)

A male Arrowhead Spiketail (C. obliqua) photographed moments after the first state record ovipositing female was sighted. (Michael Moore)

March’s DSA species’ focus is the Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegaster obliqua). This dragonfly is in the family Cordulegastridae, commonly known as the Spiketails. These are medium to large dragonflies, measuring 72-81 mm (about three inches in total body length). Arrowhead Spiketails are found in the United States from Minnesota and southern Quebec to northern Florida and Louisiana.  And now — Delaware! Enjoy Michael Moore’s story of searching for a state record, and the rewards of chasing dragonflies with a knowledgeable friend.

Predicting a First Arrowhead Spiketail for Delaware

It was a warm day in late June of 2015, when Hal White and I searched Blackbird Creek in Blackbird State Forest in Delaware for odonates. This creek has many unique early season odonates for Delaware, but the prize is a tiny relic population of Sable Clubtails (Stenogomphurus rogersi), one of only four known small populations remaining on the Delmarva Peninsula. 

Blackbird State Forest, north of Smyrna, Delaware, is an underexplored area with much potential for other rare odonates.It contains the headwaters for Blackbird Creek, so the creek is relatively pristine here. It also has many vernal pools, seep streams and beaver ponds. 

Another view of the seep stream in Blackbird State Forest, Delaware. (Michael Moore)

The first state record of Arrowhead Spiketail (C. obliqua) was this female ovipositing in the above stream on June 9, 2016. (Michael Moore)

Sable Clubtail (Stenogomphurus rogersi) (Michael Moore)

In addition to the Sable Clubtail, specialty odonates from here include Twin-spotted Spiketail (Cordulegaster maculata), old records of Delta-spotted Spiketail (C. diastatops), Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata), Taper-tailed Darner (G. antilope), Springtime Darner (Basiaeschna janata), Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa), Common Sanddragon (Progomphus obscurus) and Turquoise Bluet (Enallagma divagans).There have been two sight records of Petite Emerald (Dorocordulia lepida), which would be a first state record, but this has not yet confirmed by photo or specimen.

Off the Beaten Path

Hal, a retired chemistry professor who has also been studying odonates for more than 60 years, and I usually cover a standard route in the forest, checking various spots on the creek. Today, he announced that he wanted to take me to a place I’d never been. We hiked deeper into the forest than I had ever gone, with Hal confidently navigating several intersections in the trail.  I was lost! Soon, we arrived at a beautiful tiny seep stream crossing the trail. To me, it looked like many others in the forest. Hal told me that he thought the first state record for Arrowhead Spiketail (Cordulegaster obliqua) would come from this stream. We did not find any that day, but it was late in the season for them. Since Hal is uncannily accurate with these predictions, I resolved to return next year during peak season. 

I somehow found this stream again next year on June 9, 2016. Almost immediately, I was rewarded with the sight of a female Arrowhead Spiketail working her way up the stream, ovipositing as she went. The first state record! It was the first time I had witnessed oviposition behavior in a Spiketail.  Within a few minutes, two males cruised by. One perched for a great photo. In all, I estimated there were about six males cruising up and down this little stream that day. The stream is less than a meter (about three feet) wide and maybe only 100 meters  (about 328 feet) long, and does occasionally dry out.  

We have found Arrowhead Spiketails in subsequent years, but the tiny population remains the only one known in Delaware. Hal has never been able to tell me specifically what it was about this stream that made him believe the Arrowhead Spiketails would be there, only that it looks like other places where he has found them. He subsequently predicted and then found a previously unknown population of Gray Petaltail (Tachopteryx thoreyi).  As I said, I always take Hal’s predictions seriously. 

Our guest blogger for March is Michael C. Moore (mcmoore32@gmail.com).  Mike is a recently retired Biology professor. He was at Arizona State University for 27 years and then at University of Delaware for 11 years before retiring a couple of years ago. He has published nearly 100 papers in scientific journals on behavior and hormones of birds and reptiles. He is currently Project Manager for Odonata Central, President of the Delaware Ornithological Society, a Vice President of the Dragonfly Society of the Americas and an eBIrd reviewer for Delaware.  He maintains a website on the odonates of the Delmarva Peninsula (https://www.tramea.net/dmv/index.html).

Species of the Month

Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes) male on red rock, Cochise Co., AZ, July 2013 

Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea).

Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes) male, Cochise Co., AZ, September 2021--4273

Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes)  female, Pinal Co., AZ, October 2011

Red Rock Skimmer ( Paltothemis lineatipes) female, Cochise Co., AZ, October 2014

Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes) habitat, Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona.

February Species of the Month: Red Rock Skimmer (Paltothemis lineatipes)

February’s DSA species’ focus is the Red Rock Skimmer, Paltothemis lineatipes. This dragonfly is in the family Libellulidae, commonly known as the Skimmers, the largest Odonata family... These are medium to large sized dragonflies, measuring 46-48 mm (about two inches in total body length), that you’ll find in rocky streams. Their range is west to California, north to Oregon, south through Mexico and Panama; east to Texas and Oklahoma.  Read on and discover Jim Burns’ story of learning about dragonflies and cryptic coloration while stalking the female Red Rock Skimmer in Arizona.

 From Birding to Dragonflies

When I migrated to Odonata after many years of serious birding, the first thing about dragons and damsels that blew me away, just as with birds, was the variety and intensity of their colors.  In October, 2011, I photographed my first dragonfly. A male Roseate Skimmer! It was my “spark” ode. In retrospect it is no surprise as red is nature’s eye candy.

The following spring—my first full season with Odonata—I  sloshed through Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona’s iconic red rock country. There,  I saw my first male Red Rock Skimmer. More eye candy! Its spectacular scarlet body was inlaid with fine, black etching, aptly named I thought, as the geographical center of the species’ five state southwestern range in our colorful Arizona canyonlands. Looking at my images after the trip, I noticed all the males I photographed were perched flat on reddish colored rocks.  Perhaps there was more going on with this species than met the eye? (Pun intended!)

Cryptic Coloration 

Citizen naturalists, especially birders, are well aware of cryptic coloration. There is countershading (sandpipers on a sandy beach), mimicry (Zone-tailed Hawks imitating Turkey Vultures), and background matching (owls against tree bark).  So, undoubtedly here in the realm of odonata was background matching: male Red Rock Skimmers on striated red rocks.  But where were the females?

Wherever I found male Red Rocks, I began paying more attention to surrounding stones, leaves, and trees. But to no avail!  It wasn’t until October of 2014, three years after my initial male, that I found my first female.  Along Bear Creek, an ephemeral rivulet flowing south out of the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County, Arizona, I found a pair of Red Rocks in tandem. I watched the female ovipositing while he guarded.

I was afraid to move for fear of spooking the female! I followed her visually as she left the water, headed into dry grass, and disappeared.  I glassed with my binoculars for twenty minutes into an area only a few yards away from me and only a few yards across. Then, I finally spotted the female.  Her black-etched tan and beige body perfectly blended with the dead grass seed head to which she clung, and the grasses all around her.

In the ten years since I began actively seeking Odes, I’ve probably seen several hundred male Red Rock Skimmers.  I have found only four females. The most recent was last October, when I saw one hanging from the tip of a branch high above a mountain stream against a mottled background of leaves turning autumn colors.  Her cryptic coloration fooled my camera’s autofocus—and presumably predators—as easily as it has fooled me all these years.  I was unable to photograph her because there was not enough contrast for the camera’s autofocus to find her.  You can be sure female Red Rock Skimmers will be a priority for me this coming season.

Our guest blogger for February is Jim Burns, a nature writer/ photographer based in Scottsdale, Arizona.  A lifelong adult birder, he went over to the “dark side,” Odonata, a decade ago.  You can see more of his work on birds and dragonflies on his website–jimburnsphotos.com

Species of the Month

Figure 1. Male Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps. Sycamore Canyon, Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, 23 September 2012. Photo Pierre Deviche.

Figure 2. Locations where Cerulean Dancers, Argia anceps, have been found in Arizona as of December 2021. Blue dots show new locations where the species has been found since 2018. Data courtesy Richard Bailowitz.

Figure 3. Pair of Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps, in tandem. Sonoita Creek, Santa Cruz Co., Arizona, 28 October 2017. Photo Pierre Deviche.

Figure 4. Habitat of Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps, in Arizona. Top photo: Scotia Canyon, Cochise Co.; bottom photo: Cienega Creek, Pima Co. Photos Pierre Deviche. 

January’s Featured Species: Cerulean Dancer (Argia anceps)

This month’s DSA species’ focus is the Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps. This damselfly is in the family Coenagrionidae, commonly known as the narrow-winged damselflies. A large damselfly, measuring 38-41 mm (around 1 ½ inches), this species’ range includes Arizona south to Panama. Read on to listen to Pierre Deviche, Professor of Environmental Physiology at Arizona State University, tell fascinating stories of observing this damselfly in the Southwest. 

Autumn in Arizona

Fall in Arizona is always an exciting time to look for odonates. By then temperatures are not as hot as in the dead of summer. And in most years, the summer monsoon brings water to the arid Sonoran Desert, turning brown and desiccated landscapes green with new vegetation and causing an explosion of insect life. For those interested in odonates, fall provides opportunities to find uncommon species that moved North from Mexico during the monsoon season. One of the best locations to look for such species is Sycamore Canyon in Santa Cruz County, located just north of the international border and where, among others, Oculate Dancer (Argia oculata), Mayan Setwing (Dythemis maya), Straight-tipped Ringtail (Erpetogomphus elaps) and White-tailed Sylph (Macrothemis pseudimitans) were documented in recent years.

An Honest Mistake

During a visit to Sycamore Canyon on 23 September 2012, I observed and photographed a male dancer that I identified to be a Sierra Madre Dancer (A. lacrimans), an uncommon damselfly with a small established population at this location. Nothing else would have come of this observation, were it not for the fact that in March 2013, while surveying the San Pedro River, Richard Bailowitz and Douglas Danforth stumbled upon an immature male Cerulean Dancer (A. anceps). At the time, this individual was assumed to provide the first United States record of this Mexican species (Danforth et al. 2013). I had never encountered Cerulean Dancers—or so I thought—and was unfamiliar with the features that separate them from their look-alike taxon, the Sierra Madre Dancer. Out of curiosity—and intrigued by Bailowitz and Danforth’s discovery—I decided, just in case, to re-examine my Arizona pictures of Sierra Madre Dancer. This is when the individual photographed on September 23, 2012 proved to be a Cerulean Dancer.

Onward North with the Blue Damsels!

But the story did not end there. In fact, it got more interesting! After 2013, Cerulean Dancers began to be regularly reported from additional Arizona locations, and sometimes in significant numbers. For example, I found seven males along Sonoita Creek in Santa Cruz County in November of 2014. In December of 2021, I spotted eight of them during a single visit to the Cienega Creek Natural Preserve in Pima County (OC # 1935780). By late 2021, Cerulean Dancers had been recorded from 31 Southern Arizona sites in four counties, and at elevations between 618 m and 1,832 m (Figure 2), revealing an extensive and rapid northward range expansion during the past ten years. As well, just during the last four years (2018-2021), Argia anceps was found for the first time at nine of these 31 sites. This includes an individual in Pinal County (central Arizona, November 2021; OC # 1935263), well north of where the species had been seen until then. 

The dancer’s range expansion in the state is apparently still ongoing. It’s possible that A. anceps will continue marching north! Most observations to date have been of males, but pairs have also been seen, which suggests local breeding. Arizona populations likely comprise individuals that flew from Mexico, in addition to local breeders.

An Uncertain Future

No other odonate species in the southwest is known to have undergone such a rapid and large range increase similar to that shown by Cerulean Dancers. How long, how far north, and how persistent will the dancer’s colonization of Arizona last? Species’ ranges can expand and retract over time for a myriad of often unfathomable reasons, and only time will tell. But it is worth noting that A. anceps is rather eclectic in terms of habitat preference. It is found in narrow canyons as well as along slow-moving and mountain streams, and also major rivers.

It is tempting to conclude that this flexibility in habitat choice has contributed to the species’ recent success, but the question remains: In the next decades, will A. anceps become a regular denizen of Arizona waterways or, within the state, will it go the way of the dodo?

References cited:

Bailowitz, R., Danforth, D., and Upson, S. 2015. A Field Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of Arizona and Sonora. Nova Granada Guides, Tucson, Arizona.

Danforth D., Bailowitz R., and Deviche P. 2013. “Cerulean Dancer, Argia anceps, a new species for the United States.” ARGIA 25: 10-11.

Our guest blogger for January is Pierre Deviche (deviche@asu.edu), Professor of Environmental Physiology at Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe. Pierre’s ASU laboratory investigates physiological adaptations of native birds to their environments, especially their responses to extreme conditions and to urbanization. When he is not busy at work, you will often find him observing and photographing odonates throughout Arizona. Pierre developed and maintains the Arizona odonate website, http://azdragonfly.org/.

Species of the Month

Springwater Dancers (Argia plana), male and female in the wheel position. Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

Bison at Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

Male Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

Male Springwater Dancer (Argia plana), Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL. (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

Springwater Dancer (Argia plana) female, Franklin Grove, IL (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

See the mask? (Look between the eyes!) Male Springwater Dancer (Argia plana), Franklin Grove, IL (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

Springwater Dancers (Argia plana) ovipositing, Nachusa Grasslands, Franklin Grove, IL. (Photo copyright Cindy Crosby)

December’s Featured Species: Springwater Dancer (Argia plana)

This month’s DSA species’ focus is the Springwater Dancer damselfly (Argia plana). It is in the family Coenagrionidae, commonly known as narrow-winged or pond damselflies, the largest damselfly family with more than 1,300 species. Measuring between 33-40 mm (approximately 1 ⅓-1 ¾  inches), these beautiful damselflies are found in North America’s Central to Southwest and parts of Guatemala and Mexico. Read on to hear writer and naturalist Cindy Crosby’s story of chasing this brightly-colored species at the eastern part of its range.

“Where the Buffalo Roam”

Most visitors to Nachusa Grasslands are lured there by the possibility of seeing bison. For me, the attractions are insects weighing .001 ounces: the Springwater Dancer damselfly (Argia plana). 

In 2013, I began collecting Odonata species data at Nachusa Grasslands, a 4,000-acre Nature Conservancy preserve in Franklin Grove, IL.  I was working on my master’s degree at University of Stevens Point, WI, in environmental interpretation and Nachusa was on the brink of introducing bison. Visitation numbers were expected to dramatically increase.  My degree work focused on engaging and connecting visitors to Nachusa Grasslands in ways that didn’t damage the site, which contains rare remnant prairie. When I asked who was monitoring the Odonate populations, the answer was---no one! I was excited to begin.

As I chased dragonflies at Nachusa, I became acquainted with the contours of this rural preserve. The underlying geology of the site ---St. Peter sandstone, with a rare dolomite fen--- was the setting for many common species that were, none-the-less, new to me. At a natural spring, I saw my first red damsel damselfly (Amphiagrion sp.) and learned that we aren’t really sure whether it is the western species (abbreviatum) or the eastern species (saucium). As a naturalist, this was one of my first introductions into the mysteries of dragonfly ID! It’s not always easy. I saw my first Midland Clubtail (Gomphus fraternus), the tiny Sedge Sprite (Nehalennia irene) and the even tinier Citrine Forktail (Ischnura hastata). But nothing was as exciting as my first glimpse of the Springwater Dancer damselflies.

As I waded in one of the creeks, collecting data, I caught a glimpse of something blue. Bright blue! I grabbed my camera and snapped a few shots, then watched them for a while. What species could it be? I’d never seen a damselfly in that bright, bright blue. Back home, leafing through the field guides and comparing them to my photo, I thought “Springwater Dancer.” But I wasn’t sure. Although it is a common “dancer” in the Southwest, at that time, they weren’t widely seen in Illinois. I sent my photos to a local Odonata mentor. Yes! He confirmed it. Argia plana. Springwater Dancer.

Males on my site are an impossible blue; most females are a lavender-ish brown. Some females are polymorphic, ranging from blue to brown to olive, with eyes that are usually brown. Dennis Paulson’s Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East field guide advised me to look for males perched on shoreline vegetation. That’s where I found them! Paulson notes the species prefers small to medium shallow rocky or sandy streams, and is considered indicative of springs in some parts of its range. Bingo! The Nachusa habitat is a perfect fit.

Dragonfly expert Marla Garrison, author of Damselflies of Chicagoland,  wrote my favorite description of the markings on the top center of this species’ head---“a Mardi-Gras mask!” Exactly. In 2010, Garrison found this species in Cook County, about as far east in Illinois as you can go. Is its range expanding? It will be interesting to find out!

In 2021, I watched several pairs ovipositing in the creek. In a year when there has been more discouraging news than encouraging news, it's nice to know that the Springwater Dancers continue to make their home at Nachusa Grasslands. 

I can’t wait to see them next spring.

******

Our guest blogger for December is Cindy Crosby, the author of Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural, and Personal History (Northwestern University Press). Cindy has monitored dragonflies in Illinois since 2005, and helps supervise 20 dragonfly monitors in the Chicago region.  

ARGIA 33(4) is available for download on the DSA website

The latest issue of ARGIA is available on the DSA website

This extra lengthy issue contains:

• Lots of great articles, including one article describing the ode diversity that can be found at one site in Mexico in a single day (with many excellent photographs), one presenting the 2021 data from the Odonata Species Richness Project, and—just in time for your holiday parties—one discussing whether double dipping is socially acceptable... for odes.

• An announcement for the December Odolympics photograph competition - winning photographs to be published in the next ARGIA.

• The next Nymph Cove installment, which includes lots of tips on where to find nymphs (also available for free on the DSA website)

DSA members can login to download the issue.

Amanda Whispell

Editor-in-chief of ARGIA

Species of the Month

Polythore ornata male. Pampa Hermosa Sanctuary, Peru (photo copyright Melissa Sanchez Herrera)

Polythore ornata male. Pampa Hermosa Sanctuary, Peru. (photo credit to Melissa Sanchez Herrera)

Polythore ornata female Pampa Hermosa Sactuary, Peru (photo credit Melissa Sanchez)

Preferred Polythore habitat. (Casada Pacha, near Pozuzo, Melissa Sanchez Herrera)

Our Peruvian van, somewhere on the road near Pozuzo. Melissa Sanchez Herrera

November’s Featured Species: Polythore ornata

This month’s DSA species’ focus is Polythore ornata. They are in the Neotropical family Polythoridae, commonly known as banner-winged damselflies. A medium to large sized damselfly, measuring 39-65 mm), they are known from Peru’s eastern Andean foothills.  Polythore ornata males display an array of beautiful wing colors, such as white, orange and black, while the wings of females are almost hyaline or translucent. Read on to hear DSA President Melissa Sanchez-Herrera tell her story of her and Chris Beatty’s adventures chasing this delightful species.

Peruvian Music: The Soundtrack to Damselfly Fieldwork

In 2013, I received a National Geographic/Waitt Foundation Explorer Award to travel across South America, looking for Polythore damselflies. In September of that year, Chris Beatty and I met in Lima and stayed in a small hotel near the Natural History Museum of la Universidad Catolica. There, we hired a van and driver to take us across the Andes towards the Central Amazon for three weeks.

Our driver, Saul, was only about 19 years old, but had his license. When we arrived at the high elevation town of Tarma (around 10,000 ft or 3000 meters above sea level), just over the peak of the Andes, Saul began pulling to the side of the road and asking passersby how to find the road to La Merced. After a couple of these conversations Chris and I realized that Saul had no idea how to get to our first stop, Oxapampa. Thankfully we had printed maps and books of the Peruvian roads. 

Chris and I spent five five days exploring the rivers and streams around the small community of Pozuzo, a village perched along the river of the same name. There, we collected several Polythore species. Next, we went looking for Polythore ornata in the Pampa Hermosa Sanctuary, near La Merced township. Besides Saul's questionable driving skills, he blasted Peruvian music while driving and as he waited for us. Chris and I were relieved when we arrived at La Merced, where we left Saul at a hotel for three nights and took a 4x4 pickup to our accommodations in the cloud forest. Yay! No more blasted music… at least, for a few days.

Our wonderful lodge had hot water; a luxury not always available in the field.  Despite the cloudy and rainy weather, we were able to find Polythore ornata males, females and nymphs of this wonderful species. During rare cloudbreaks, we saw these magnificent and colorful damselflies flying along the trails we walked through, making the most of the sunshine.  In flight, they look like butterflies. We observed them hunt and fight for territories, but unfortunately we saw no mating behavior. 

We also saw the bird Rupicola rupicola, known in English as the “Cock of the Rock,” lekking near our field site, going through its elaborate courting calls and displays--a rare treat for any naturalist to experience.

To our surprise, as we collected damselflies, we sang Saul’s Peruvian tunes! We missed him! Now everytime Chris and I look at our photos and specimens of Polythore ornata, Saul comes to mind. Our inside joke  is to sing “mi corazón,” (which means “my heart”), a very common pop song term from Saul’s collection.

After three days, we returned to La Merced to meet Saul. We discovered he had gotten into trouble with the police!  He was driving in the wrong direction on a major street in town while looking for fuel. When stopped, Saul fought with the police and was taken into police custody. Our van was towed. After this situation was resolved, we began our trip back to Lima. 

A strange whining noise began coming from the back of the van.  Chris turned to me and said “That sounds like a tire that is going bad.”  Saul, with his tunes blasting at top volume couldn’t hear it, and as I leaned forward to try to get his attention “BLAM!” The tire exploded.  Fortunately we had a spare, and after adventures using the jack, we were back on the road.

Thank you Saul, for so many memories and stories. I imagine that Saul will remember us whenever he sees an Odonate. I know Chris and I will remember him, his Peruvian music, our adventures on the road, and the Polythore species we found together. 

Our guest blogger for November is Melissa Sanchez- Herrara, the current president of Dragonflies Society of the Americas. Melissa is a lecturer and associate researcher at La Universidad del Rosario in Bogota Colombia. She works in the systematics of the banner-winged damselflies and other odonates from the Neotropical region!

Species of the Month

Immature individual of the Big Plateau Blue damsel, M. laterale, showing off the orange coloration in its abdomen. (Photo by Leonardo Rache Rodriguez)

(Photo #2) Group of individuals of several sexes of Big Plateau Blue damsel, M. laterale, away from the waterbody. Photo by Leonardo Rache Rodriguez.

(Photo #3) M. lateral in the mating wheel. Photo by Leonardo Rache Rodriguez.

(Photo #4) --Male of M. laterale feeding. Photo by Leonardo Rache Rodriguez.

October’s Featured Species: Big Plateau Blue Damsel (Mesamphiagrion laterale)

This month’s DSA species focus is the Big Plateau Blue Damsel (Mesamphiagrion laterale).  Measuring around four centimeters (about one-and-a-half inches) in length, this blue and black member of the Coenagrionidae family is found in South America; from Venezuela, to Colombia, to Ecuador. Read on to learn more about this delightful species from our October guest blogger Leonardo Rache Rodriguez as he chases them in Bogota, Colombia.

A South American Beauty

The Big Plateau Blue Damsel, Mesamphiagrion laterale, is a very common species in the wetlands of Bogota. However, even regular visitors to these ecosystems may overlook it due to its slender body and short flights. The damselfly appears in groups of up to 30 individuals, usually composed of a mix of mature and immature males and females. Immature individuals are easily differentiated from mature individuals by the presence of an orange mark on the dorsum, or upper side,  of the first abdominal segments. These changes in body coloration across their adulthood may confuse a naive observer into thinking these damselflies are more than one species.

You may observe large groups of M. laterale individuals in the grassy wetlands, away from water. Intraspecific aggressive behaviors are uncommon. The Big Plateau Blue Damsel feeds on small dipterans (true flies) in these habitats. They may also be preyed on by other arthropods, mainly spiders.

Reproductive behavior is most easily seen between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., their activity peak.  Individuals seem undisturbed by observers. In my years of watching their breeding behavior, I have not seen clear male courtship. Instead, males pounce on females in flight or those perched on vegetation. Then, they take them in tandem. Sometimes females move their abdomens up and down. This can be interpreted as a refusal to copulate with a male. 

After a male takes a female in tandem, other males will try to do the same with that female. The pair usually flies into nearby vegetation to avoid the harassment! This makes observation of oviposition difficult. Females usually oviposit in tandem with the male, mainly on one of the most widespread  flowering plants in Bogota’s wetlands, larger bur marigold (Bidens laevis).

The duration of the larval (or nymph) stage takes between nine and ten months. The larvae can be easily reared in captivity because of their small size. They survive on water fleas, copepods, and small notonectidae (aquatic insects) which are found in their natal waters. 

This species is particularly important to me as an odonatologist. It was included in my first research project after I received my bachelor’s degree. I was able to select one species----and of course, I chose M. laterale. Its light and contrasting colors are just another reason to love this species. My best photos are of Big Plateau Blue Damsels. It seems they like being photographed! 

Our guest blogger for October is Leonardo Rache Rodriguez,  a biologist who likes fieldwork and teaching. Rodriguez has worked with dragonflies and damselflies for more than ten years, especially focusing on ecological and morphological issues. Currently, he is a school teacher trying to help kids appreciate the intrinsic value of insects. Says Rodriguez: “The world is in their hands and legs, respectively.”