Common Whitetail
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Hexapoda Order: Odonata Suborder: Anisoptera Family: Libellulidae Genus: Libellula Species: L. lydia
Binomial name
Libellula lydia (Drury, 1770)

The Common Whitetail or Long-tailed Skimmer, Libellula lydia is a common dragonfly across much of North America, with a striking and unusual appearance. The male's chunky white body (about 5cm long), combined with the brownish-black bands on its otherwise translucent wings, give it a checkered look. Females have a brown body, and are less noticeable, though they have a similar wing pattern. A faute de mieux picture of the Common Whitetail, photographed at Lake Lagunitas in Marin County, California. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Classes & Orders Class Insecta (insects) Unplaced orders:    Order Diplura    Order Collembola (springtails)    Order Protura The subphylum Hexapoda constitutes the largest (in terms of number of species) grouping of arthropods and includes the insects as well as a few much smaller groups of wingless arthropods closely related to insects: Collembola, Protura... Suborders Anisoptera (dragonflies) Anisozygoptera Zygoptera (damselflies) Reference: ITIS 101593 as of 2002-07-26 Odonata is an order in the Class Insecta, encompassing those insects commonly known as dragonflies and damselflies. ... For other uses, see Dragonfly (disambiguation). ... Genera Many, including type Libellula The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... Dru Drury (February 4, 1725 - January 15, 1804) was a British entomologist, one of the foremost of his time. ... Families Aeshnidae - Hawkers Gomphidae - Clubtails Neopetaliidae - Redspots Petaluridae - Petaltails Cordulegastridae - Goldenrings Chlorogomphidae - Tigerbodies Macromiidae - River Emeralds Synthemistidae - Southern Emerlads Corduliidae - Emeralds Libellulidae - Perchers, Darners The dragonfly is an insect belonging to the Order Odonata, Suborder Anisoptera and characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and fourth in population after Asia and Africa in area and population and Europe in population. ...

The Common Whitetail can be seen hawking for mosquitoes and other small flying insects over ponds, marshes, and slow-moving rivers in most regions except the higher mountain regions. Periods of activity vary between regions; for example in California, the adults are active from April to September. Genera See text. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ...

Like all perchers, Common Whitetails often rest on objects near the water, and sometimes on the ground. Males are territorial, holding a 10 to 30 metre stretch of the water's edge, and patrolling it to drive off other males. Genera Many, including type Libellula The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. ...

The nymphs are dark green or brown, but are usually found covered in algae. The feed on aquatic invertebrates such as mayfly larvae and small crayfish, and also on small aquatic vertebrates such as tadpoles and minnows. Because of their abundance, whitetail naiads are in turn an important food source for various fish, frogs, and birds, and also for other aquatic insects. Suborders Suborder Schistonota  Superfamily Baetoidea    Siphlonuridae    Baetidae    Oniscigastridae    Ameletopsidae    Ametropodidae  Superfamily Heptagenioidea    Coloburiscidae    Oligoneuriidae    Isonychiidae    Heptageniidae  Superfamily Leptophlebioidea    Leptophlebiidae  Superfamily Ephemeroidea    Behningiidae    Potamanthidae    Euthyplociidae    Polymitarcydae    Ephemeridae    Palingeniidae Suborder Pannota  Superfamily Ephemerelloidea    Ephemerellidae    Leptohyphidae    Tricorythidae  Superfamily Caenoidea    Neoephemeridae    Baetiscidae    Caenidae    Prosopistomatidae The mayflies are an order (Ephemeroptera) of insects that grow... The word crayfish or crawfish can mean:- Sea crayfish, also called spiny lobster. ... Ten-day-old tadpoles Embryos (and one tadpole) of the wrinkled frog (Rana rugosa) A tadpole (also known as a pollywog) is a larval frog, toad, salamander, or newt. ... The word minnow can mean, in decreasing order of specificity: The Eurasian minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus (Linnaeus, 1758) Any, particularly small, fish of the family Cyprinidae Fish of the family Galaxiidae, in particular those of genus galaxiid occurring in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

Some authorities classify the whitetails, including the Common Whitetail, in genus Plathemis rather than Libellula. This matter has been debated at least since the end of the nineteenth century. Recent molecular systematics evidence suggests that separation of the whitetails from the rest of Libellula may be appropriate. See genus (mathematics) for the use of the term in mathematics. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Molecular systematics is a product of the traditional field of systematics and the growing field of bioinformatics. ...