Facilitating the protection and restoration of species and ecosystems at risk on BC’s South Coast
Western Pondhawk
Erythemis collocata
Erythemis
collocata
A member of the family Libellulidae (“Skimmer” dragonflies), which along with its subfamilies and allies forms the largest dragonfly family in the world. Pondhawks are voracious predators, preying on damselflies and small dragonflies as well as other insects.
Length: males: 4.1—4.6 cm, females: 4.0—4.3 cm. Males are slightly larger, sexes are highly dimorphic in colouration. Adult males have dark blue-green eyes, immature and adult females have light green to olive eyes. The face of both sexes is light green. Eyes just touch at the top of the head with a small triangular patch of brown hairs between. Mature males have a distinct “pruinescent” (dusty or frosty looking), thorax and abdomen (lacking in immature males and females). Top leading edge of both sets of wing membranes in mature males is lined with black from wing base to the pterostigma (coloured, thickened cell on the leading edge of each wing membrane near the tip). The pterostigma of both sexes is narrow and light brown. Immature males and all females are yellow-green with a dark line running dorsally the length of the abdominal segments. Lower abdominal segments may be green or yellow-green ringed with brown. The 1.5-1.7 cm larvae are green with distinct diagonal striping on the head. The prominent eyes are located on the sides of the head and turned up. The rounded abdomen lacks abdominal hooks or spines found on the larvae of some other Odonata.
Download Species Fact Sheet in PDF
Status
Global Status:
G5
Provincial Status:
S3S4
BC List Status:
Blue (Considered to be of Special Concern)
RESOURCES
For further information see:
A source for authoritative conservation information on thousands of plants and animals and hundreds of ecological communities in BC. From here connect to all provincial and federal recovery plans (including the SARA Registry), COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada), Identified Wildlife guidance and conservation requirements for specific species and ecological communities of conservation concern impacted by forestry activities) and links to E-Flora and E-Fauna (the Electronic Atlas of the Plants and Wildlife of British Columbia).
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