Identification

Field Marks

• Average adult size is approximately from 2.1 to 2.6 inches
• Yellow face with no facial markings and green eyes
• Head appears small compared to the body
• Markings on the top of the thorax look like an unbroken 'T' with a parallel dash on either side
• Yellow thorax with bold connected pair of shoulder stripes, incomplete 3rd stripe and faint 4th stripe
• Long legs with numerous different sized spines
• Black abdomen with yellow lance-shaped top spots on segments 2 to 7, triangular top spots on 8 and 9 and a square spot covering most of segment 10
• Moderate clubbing on end of abdomen with yellow patches on the side of segments 7 to 9

Field Marks

• Female is colored similarly to the male
• Abdomen is wider and less tapered at the beginning than the males
• Little clubbing at the end of the abdomen
• Subgenital plates are pointed and less than a quarter of the length of segment 9

Behavior

Black-shouldered Spinylegs males perch on leaves, rocks or the ground typically facing the water or patrol their territory, flying back and forth and occasionally stopping to hover. Females typically perch on shaded foliage in nearby woodlands. Black-shoulder Spinylegs can often be seen later in the summer than most other clubtails other than Stylurus

Habitat

Small to large woodland rivers and streams and large lakes with rocky shoreline

Reproduction

Mating takes longer than other species and usually happens in the treetops. Females lay eggs by rapidly skimming the water and tapping their abdomen on the surface at regular intervals of a few feet.