Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Odonata
- Infraorder: Anisoptera (dragonflies)
- Family: Corduliidae (emerald dragonflies)
- Genus: Epitheca
- Species: Epitheca spinosa (Hagen in Selys, 1878)
Common name
Robust baskettail
Description
Epitheca spinosa is a medium‑sized dragonfly belonging to the family Corduliidae, commonly referred to as emerald dragonflies. The species exhibits the typical brown thorax and abdomen of baskettails, with distinctive yellow markings along the sides of the abdomen. Adults possess the robust body form that gives the species its common name.
Distribution
The robust baskettail is native to North America. Its range includes the Atlantic Coastal Plain and adjacent Piedmont regions, extending northward to New Jersey and westward into parts of the interior, though it is generally less common away from the coastal plain.
Habitat
E. spinosa breeds in wooded swamps, slow‑moving streams, and other swampy or marshy freshwater habitats. Adults are often observed foraging within 30 to 300 m of breeding sites.
Conservation status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies Epitheca spinosa as “Least Concern” (LC), indicating that there are currently no immediate threats to its survival and that populations are considered stable.
References
Information summarized from the Wikipedia entry on Epitheca spinosa and associated taxonomic databases.