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Plathemis lydia (Drury, 1773)
Common Whitetail
Florida native
Common whitetails are found in all 48 of the continental states, ranging south into Mexico and north into British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
Males and females of this species have different wing patterns. The males have a short stout abdomen that is completely chalky blue-white. Male wings have a large black patch about mid-wing, with a smaller black patch on the leading edge near the body. Female abdomens are brown, with oblique white or pale yellow markings down the sides. Female wings have three evenly spaced black blotches. Young males have the male wing pattern but abdomen coloring similar to females. Females are very similar in appearance to twelve-spotted skimmers (Libellula pulchella) which have slimmer abdomens with a continuous light line down the side.
Plathemis lydia are seen mostly from April through September. Sometimes also in March & October, especially in the southern part of the range.
Plathemis lydia is a member of the Libellulidae - Skimmers family.
iNaturalist profile for this species
For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net info page for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 08, 2024
