- Skimmers
- Libellulidae Family
The Checkered Setwing is a species of the southern Great Plains and has been found only once in Nebraska, near Stratton in Hitchcock Co. in July of 2011. The genus gets its name from its habit of perching with its wings held down and its abdomen pointed up.
The young male has a greenish face which becomes red with maturity. It has red eyes and a reddish-brown thorax. Its abdomen is patterned irregularly with dark and light patches, with a pair of long light spots on the top of abdominal segment 7. There is a large dark brown area at the base of each wing.
The female also has red eyes and a greenish face. Its thorax is heavily striped in dark and light and its abdomen is irregularly marked with dark and light patches. The ventral surface of abdominal segment 9 is curved, and this can be observed from the side. Its wings are dark at the bases and tips.
Checkered Setwing
Photo by Terry Hibbitts
Size: 44-50 mm (1.8 in)
Habitat: slow streams and rivers, open lakes
Great Plains Range: TX, OK, KS, NE, NM
Flight season: July (?)
Green indicates accepted county record (specimen or photograph).
Yellow indicates sight record only.