Gray Petaltail
Tachopteryx thoreyi (Hagen, 1858)
Gray Petaltail: https://marylandbiodiversity.com/species/636
Synonyms
Tags
S3 (Watch list)

Map Snapshot

207 Records

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Status

Gray Petaltail (Tachypteryx thoreyi is Maryland's only representative of the ancient Petaluridae, a family of primitive dragonflies that now exists as a handful of geographically disjunct relict species on several continents. This large, distinctive species breeds in forested seeps, including steep hillside seeps, and ranges into nearby forest, where they often perch on tree trunks or other vertical surfaces, including people. The peculiar larvae are semiterrestrial, and live in muddy leaf litter in or near the seep (Paulson, 2011). Gray Petaltail is an S3 (watch list species) in Maryland.

Seasonality Snapshot

Resources

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Source: Wikipedia

Tachopteryx

Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Petaluridae
Genus: Tachopteryx
Species:
T. thoreyi
Binomial name
Tachopteryx thoreyi
(Hagen in Sélys, 1858)[2][3]
Synonyms

Uropetala thoreyi Selys, 1858

Tachopteryx thoreyi, commonly known as the gray petaltail and Thorey's grayback, is a species of dragonfly. It is native to the East Coast of the United States as far north as New York, as far south as Florida, and as far west as Texas. This species is the only member of the monotypic genus Tachopteryx.[2]

The gray petaltail lives in highlands, woodlands, and deciduous forests with permanent seeps, often indicated by the presence of skunk cabbage and ferns.[3]

The gray petaltail is primarily gray and black in color; the thorax is usually entirely gray, while the abdomen is gray and black. The adult is 7.1 to 8.0 centimeters in length.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ NatureServe (5 May 2023). "Tachopteryx thoreyi". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b M. Schorr; M. Lindeboom; D. Paulson. "World Odonata List". University of Puget Sound. Archived from the original on 28 August 2010. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Species Tachopteryx thoreyi - Gray Petaltail - BugGuide.Net". Iowa State University. Retrieved 1 August 2010.


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