Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies & Damselflies of Dayton, Ohio

BLACK-SHOULDERED SPINYLEG

and Riverine clubtail

The individual at left is a female Black-shouldered Spinyleg, photographed on August 22, 2018, at Jacoby Road Canoe Launch. This site is located on the Little Miami River (south of Yellow Springs). 

Black-shouldered Spinyleg, photographed in Beavercreek on June 16, 2018. These dragonflies live along forested rivers and streams. They are found at shadier spots than many clubtails. (Most other clubtails prefer sunny habitats.)  They fly from mid-June through August. 

A Black-shouldered Spinyleg at the Edge of Appalachia Preserve in Adams County, Ohio, photographed on July 21, 2024. 

This is the rarest dragonfly I have ever found. She is a female Riverine Clubtail, a member of the hanging clubtail family. The design on the thorax is similar to that on a Black-shouldered Spinyleg. However, a Black-shouldered Spinyleg would have longer, all-black hindlegs, whereas Riverine Clubtails have shorter hindlegs with yellow thighs (see below). 

I found this Riverine Clubtail at one of the Beaver Creek Wetlands parks on July 9, 2017. There are very few recent records of this species in Ohio. (This might be due, in part, to the fact that adults are very secretive and spend a lot of time perched in trees.) Riverine Clubtails supposedly prefer medium to large rivers, but that does not describe the habitat where I found this individual. She was in a wooded corridor not far from a very small creek, surrounded by wetlands. 

Black-shouldered Spinylegs have a distinctive pattern on the front of the thorax, which is similar to only one other species in our area: the rare Riverine Clubtail (discussed below). This individual is a female Black-shouldered Spinyleg, as evidenced by her long black hindlegs. Photographed June 30, 2021, at Grant Park in Centerville. 

This is the same individual as above. You can clearly see the dark shoulder patch here, and the spines on the hindlegs. 

This fresh Black-shouldered Spinyleg was photographed at Darby Creek near Columbus on June 17, 2023. 

Black-shouldered Spinyleg, photographed at Spring Lakes Park in Bellbrook. The name pretty much says it all: this species has long hindlegs covered with sharp spines, and a dark shoulder patch.