Identification

Field Marks

• Average adult size is approximately 2.6 inches
• Yellow face with thin black cross line
• Green eyes
• Yellow thorax with broad shoulder stripes, that are not connected, and narrow mid stripes
• The third thoracic stripe may be broken or incomplete
• Black abdomen with lance-style top spots on segments 3 to 7 and nothing on top of segments 8-10
• Yellow patches on the sides of segments 7-9 are not the full width of the segment
• Abdomen is moderately clubbed, club is not as wide as the thorax
• Short black terminal appendages

Identification

Field Marks

• Female is colored similarly to the male
• Yellow abdominal side spots are more extensive than on the males
• Subgenital plates brown and rectangular, about half the size of segment 9

Behavior

Males perch on rocks in riffles and patrol by flying between these perches often stopping to hover over riffles. When it is cooler out they will perch on rocks, leaves, or the ground in the sun

Habitat

Clean, fast moving, large and medium sized rivers, usually with rocky and gravel bottoms

Reproduction

Females lay eggs by dipping abdomen into swift moving water