Leucorrhinia proxima Calvert, 1890
Red-waisted Whiteface
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
Virginia State Rank: SH
VA DGIF Tier: IV
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: The Red-waisted Whiteface is a small, black, white-faced dragonfly, with the base of the black abdomen white and with red markings on the thorax. The size is 33-36 mm (1.3 - 1.4 inches).
Similar species: The Hudsonian Whiteface (L. hudsonica) also has red on the thorax, but it also has red spots on the abdomen, whereas the Red-waisted Whiteface has a black abdomen with a white base.
North American Range: The Red-waisted Whiteface is a northern species. It is found all across Canada and the northern United States to the west coast. The Virginia record is from 1978 in Highland County, disjunct from its core range, and may represent a stray individual (Carle, 1982).
VA Observations by Locality: Highland
Flight season and broods: The lone Virginia record is from 23 June. Records in New Jersey are from 4 - 22 June.
Aquatic Habitat: They live near mud-bottomed boggy ponds and lakes with emergent vegetation.
Behavior and Ecology: Males have territories that they defend from perches near the shore. They forage among weeds and bushes in small forest clearings.
Population trend and potential threats: It is common and secure across its northern range, but extirpated or vulnerable in parts of its southern range (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: Oct 18, 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 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. Virginia Museum of Natural History Special Publication No. 16., Martinsville, Virginia.