Libellulidae, Skimmer Family
The meadowhawks form a group of small, late-season skimmers that can be difficult to tell apart. The Kalosympetrum subgenus in particular, which includes the ruby, white-faced, cherry-faced, and Jane's meadowhawks, are often difficult to distinguish and their taxonomic status is not in agreement among experts. To identify meadowhawks, notice the coloration of the face, legs, and wing veins in addition to the body. Mature males in all species, except for the black meadowhawk, have red markings, including females in some species.
Status-Global/State:
Distinguishing Characteristics:
This dragonfly has a yellow-brown face, brown to dark red abdomen with black lateral stripes, black legs and dark wing veins. The juvenile males' abdomens become red about in two weeks. The length of the body averages about 1.3 inches. Females are readily distinguished from other meadowhawks by their distinctive genitalia, but males are very difficult to separate from cherry-faced meadowhawks, which has led to numerious misidentifications between these species.
Description of Habitat/Range:
Found from the northern Great Plains to Maine, this species prefers temporary ponds and ponds and marshes or occasionally lakes, swamps, bogs, and stream backwaters. In Wisconsin, it has been reported from scattered sites throughout the state, but because of misidentifications with other meadowhawks, the limits of its range in Wisconsin are not well known.
Flight Season:
Adults have been documented in Wisconsin from late June to early September.
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