Spotted Spreadwing / Leste tardif
Lestes congener
Fundy Nature Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes 2
Spotted Spreadwing, Leste tardif
(Lestes congener)
Adult size: 31-36 mm
Habitat/Status: A common inhabitant of a variety of ponds and slow reaches of streams in New Brunswick.
Flight period: In the Maritimes from late July until late October (dates July 8th PE – November 4th PE).
ID hints: Although averages only slightly smaller than several other spreadwings, it appears smaller and more slightly built than the others. It is the darkest of the Spreadwings and perhaps the easiest to distinguish readily, as both sexes show two dark spots in the pale area of the lower thorax behind the rear legs (not always easily visible from a distance, but easy in the hand).
Nature Notes : -The Spotted Spreadwing is unique as it is the last damselfly on the wing in the fall and one of the last six species of Odonate on the wing in the year, along with the Autumn Meadowhawk, Band-winged Meadowhawk, Black Meadowhawk, Saffron-winged Meadowhawk and Shadow Darner (All six species known from late October and early November).
- This is apparently the most salt-tolerant of our damselfly species. In a study in British Columbia, the Cannings brothers found that the Spotted Spreadwing could readily breed in lakes that were too salty for other spreadwings, i.e. in excess of 5 000 micromhos/cm of conductivity, and survive in ponds having a conductivity of up to 13 214 micromhos/cm.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Denis Doucet, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Denis Doucet
- (c) Denis Doucet, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
More Info
iNaturalist.ca Map
| Family | Lestidae (Spreadwing Damsels) |
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