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Boreal Whiteface - Leucorrhinia borealis
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
This dragonfly is currently listed as an "S1" Species of Concern in MT due to extremely limited and/or rapidly declining population numbers, range and/or habitat, making it highly vulnerable to extirpation in the state. This restricted range may be due to lack of suitable surveys to detect this dragonfly. With more surveys this species will likely be found in more areas across the western portion of the state.
General Description
Leucorrhinia borealis is a medium sized dragonfly with a white-face and crimson-gold patches on the top of the thorax and abdomen. It is widely distributed across much of the United States and Canada, exhibiting habitat preferences for well-vegetated ponds, bogs, and deep-water sedge meadows. Drought and water-level manipulations are the greatest immediate threats to this species,
Diagnostic Characteristics
L. borealis can be distinguished from others in this genus because, the tops of most abdominal segments have reddish-gold shield-like spots, and the spot on the 7th abdominal segment is longer than wide and extends to the end of the segment (Paulson 2007).
Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
In the Rocky Mtns. south to central Colorado and Utah, in the upper Midwest and northern Great Plains, and Canada west and north of Ontario. Rare in the southern part of its range, but more common in the north and in parts of the northern Great Plains. Although the Boreal Whiteface has currently been found at several locations in Montana, they do occur in appropriate habitat both to the north (Canada) and south (Wyoming) of the state. With more study this species will likely be found in more areas across the western portion of the state.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 27
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
The habitat of Boreal Whitefaces includes sedge marshes, mossy fens and bogs, and vegetated ponds and lakes. They are presumably on prairie lakes and ponds as well (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Alkaline - Saline Wetlands
Alpine Riparian and Wetland
Peatland
Riparian and Wetland Forest
Riparian Shrubland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
Food Habits
Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles. Adult dragonflies will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
Reproductive Characteristics
Male Boreal Whitefaces perch on vegetation over water as well as flat on algal mats. They apparently defend a very small territory of about a square yard, but this territory shifts throughout the day (similar to Hudsonian Whiteface) (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).
Stewardship Responsibility
References
- Additional ReferencesLegend:
View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies through binoculars: A field guide to dragonflies of North America. New York, NY. Oxford University Press. 266 pp.
Miller, K.B. and D.L. Gustafson. 1996. Distribution records of the Odonata of Montana. Bulletin of American Odonatology 3(4):75-88.- Paulson, D.R. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press, Princeton. 535 pp.
- Paulson, D.R. and S.W. Dunkle. 2009. A checklist of North American Odonata including English name, etymology, type locality, and distribution. Originally published as Occasional Paper No. 56. Slater Museum of Natural History, University of Puget Sound, June 1999; completely revised March 2009.
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