Cordulegaster diastatops (Selys, 1854)
Delta-spotted Spiketail
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
Virginia State Rank: S1
VA DGIF Tier: IV
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: The Delta-spotted Spiketail is a large dark species with broad yellow thoracic stripes, and triangular-shaped yellow spots on the side of the abdomen. The eyes are green. It ranges in size from 59-65 mm (2.3 - 2.6 inches).
Similar species: The Delta-spotted Spiketail is nearly identical to the Brown Spiketail (C. bilineata) and may not always be separable. Delta-spotted is blackish rather than brown, and can have a narrow additional thoracic stripe.
North American Range: The Delta-spotted Spiketail ranges through Eastern Canada and Eastern U.S., from Nova Scotia and Ontario south to Virginia and Illinois. In Virginia, it is recorded from two widely separated counties; Highland and Accomack.
VA Observations by Locality: Highland | Accomack
Flight season and broods: The known flight season in Virginia ranges from 23 May - 4 June, but ranges from late April through early July in New Jersey.
Aquatic Habitat: In Virginia, the Delta-spotted Spiketail is found in high elevation small streams in the vicinity of beaver ponds, or seepage swamps in the coastal plain (Roble et al, 2009).
Behavior and Ecology: Delta-spotted Spiketails fly low up and down small streams.
Population trend and potential threats: Secure in the northern portion of its range, but imperiled to critically imperiled across its southern range from Wisconsin to Virginia (NatureServe, 2011).
Management practices: Monitor and protect occupied habitats.
References: Carle, F.L., 1982. A contribution to the knowledge of the Odonata. Ph.D. thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. 1,095 pp.
NatureServe. 2011. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer (Accessed: March 20, 2012).
Paulson, Dennis. 2011. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Princeton University Press. Princeton and Oxford. 538 pp.
Roble, Steven M. 2011. Dragonflies of Virginia- Flight dates. Unpub.
Roble, S. M., Carle, F. L., and O. S. Flint. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the Laurel Fork Recreation Area, George Washington National Forest, Highland County, Virginia: Possible evidence for Climate Change. Pp 365-399, in S. M. Roble and J.C. Mitchell (eds.). 2009. A lifetime of contributions to Myriapodology and the Natural History of Virginia. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 16, Martinsville, Virginia.