New Jersey Endangered and Threatened Species Field Guide
Zoom+ An adult female Hudsonian whiteface. © Glenn CorbiereHudsonian whiteface
Leucorrhinia hudsonica
Species Group: Invertebrate
Conservation Status
State: Special Concern
IDENTIFICATION
This red and black species is one of the smallest whitefaces at 1.1”. The mature male is black with red on the thorax and abdomen. The female is marked similarly to the male except the red areas are instead yellow on some forms. Both sexes have red or yellow dorsally between wing bases and triangular basal wing marks.
Zoom+ Range of the Hudsonian whiteface in New Jersey.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
This species prefers marshes and bogs with plenty of sphagnum growth. The Hudsonian whiteface is only found in northern New Jersey in few colonies.
DIET
Nymphs feed on a variety of aquatic insects and will also eat small fish and tadpoles. Adults will eat soft-bodied flying insects including mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
LIFE CYCLE
Emergence is throughout May and mature adults can be observed from June into early July.
CURRENT STATUS, THREATS, AND CONSERVATION
The Hudsonian whiteface requires habitat that is rare in New Jersey and therefore is considered a species of Special Concern in New Jersey.
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 Larissa Smith in 2011.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Leucorrhinia
Species: L. hudsonica
Find Related Info: Invertebrates, Special concern
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