Dragonflies
31, 2010
Hi Daniel
Here are two photos of dragonflies taken today. I noticed one has much more white, I have been wondering if one is male and the other female or are they two different species? Thanks You very much and have a wonderful day.
Richard
North Middle Tennessee
Dear Richard,
Both of your individuals are Common Whitetails, Plathemis lydia, and both are males. The individual with the white abdomen is a mature male. The other is immature. According to BugGuide: “Immature males have the same body pattern as females but the same wing pattern as mature males.“ BugGuide also indicates: “Females have a short, stout abdomen with several oblique dorsolateral white or pale yellow markings against a brown ground color; each wing has three black evenly-spaced blotches“ rather than the two uneven blotches on the wings of the male. BugGuide has a nice image illustrating the difference between the male and female. The species ranges throughout the contiguous United States and much of Canada.
Thank You so much Daniel, I never would have guessed that the difference was just a matter of age. I have learned more from you and your website then any place in a long time. (Just proves that you are never too old to learn.)