rusty snaketail

LC - Least Concern

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

Rusty snaketail is a medium-sized dragonfly. The thorax is bright green. There are two thin, brown shoulder stripes on each side but no bold stripes — the lateral and mid-frontal stripes are reduced and inconspicuous.

The abdomen of the male is slender, yellow above, and rusty brown on the sides. There is a thin, white, snake-like stripe near the bottom (sublaterally) on each side. The undulating white stripe gives this genus the name “snaketails”. There are no distinct top spots. There are black V-shaped markings or blotches on abdominal segments 7 through 10. Segments 8, 9, and 10 are expanded into a noticeable “club”. The female is similarly colored but duller.

The face is green. The large compound eyes are yellowish-green to bluish-green on the male, brownish on the female. They do not meet at the top of the head. The area behind the compound eyes at the top of the head (occiput) is bright green.

The wings are clear except for dark stigmas. The wing triangle, a section of intersecting veins about 20% of the way from the base to the wingtip, is about the same size on the forewing and the hindwing.

The legs are black, relatively short, and have yellow longitudinal stripes.

Total length: 1¾″ to 2⅛″

Silty rivers and large silty streams with moderately fast current.

Mid-May to mid-August

Sources

17, 24, 29, 30.

Widespread and fairly common

An adult male Rusty Snaketail dragonfly.

Location: Norman County, MN

An adult male Rusty Snaketail dragonfly.