The picture above shows a mature male. The body coloration of the immature male is the same as that of the adult female, shown below. In some areas the mature male can be confused with that of Plathemis subornata, the Desert Whitetail. In some areas the female can be confused with the slightly larger female of Libellula pulchella, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. I have not seen the Desert Whitetail or the Twelve-spotted Skimmer at Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
The male Common Whitetail is quite distinctive and not very secretive. I only saw the one male one time in the Park in 2001 and did not see this species at Rattlesnake Springs in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. In 2003, I only saw the female at Manzanita Spring the one time; again I did not find this species at Rattlesnake Springs. It would be interesting to locate the breeding population.
Common Whitetail (female)
2003 August 06 at Manzanita Spring
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