New Jersey Endangered and Threatened Species Field Guide
Zoom+ An adult female arrowhead spiketail. © Allen BarlowArrowhead spiketail
Cordulegaster obliqua
Species Group: Invertebrate
Conservation Status
State: Special Concern
IDENTIFICATION
The arrowhead spiketail is a large brown and bright yellow dragonfly 2.5 - 3 inches in length. The abdomen has a single dorsal row of yellow arrow-shaped spots. The female is similar but has a thicker abdomen and a long, conspicuous ovipositor projecting well beyond segment ten.
Zoom+ Range of the arrowhead spiketail in New Jersey.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Arrowhead spiketails are a forest specialist. This species usually breeds in small, sluggish, mulch-bottomed forest streams and trickles. An abundance of skunk cabbage along streams is often an indicator of appropriate habitat. These streams may occasionally dry up, leaving only damp mud and scattered puddles. This species is currently known to have a limited range within New Jersey. It has been recorded from scattered localities in the Highlands and Ridge & Valley regions.
DIET
Nymphs feed on aquatic invertebrate; adults on flying insects.
LIFE CYCLE
Arrowhead spiketails emerge in May and adults are active through early August. The female flies to the stream and lays her eggs in mud or other sediments.
CURRENT STATUS, THREATS, AND CONSERVATION
Due to the rarity of this dragonfly and its habitat, the arrowhead spiketail is a Special Concern species. Habitat destruction and ground water disturbance are two of the greatest threats facing this species.
Text derived from the book, Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey. 2009. By Allen E. Barlow, David M. Golden and Jim Bangma.
Edited and updated by Brian Henderson in 2011.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Cordulegastridae
Genus: Cordulegaster
Species: C. obliqua
Find Related Info: Invertebrates, Special concern
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