Epitheca


Epitheca is a genus of dragonflies in the family Corduliidae. They are commonly known as baskettails. Baskettails' distinction is the specially adapted, upturned abdomen tip of the females which allows them to carry their egg masses in a small, orange-tinted globule.
Some authorities spin off the North American baskettails into two new genera, Epicordulia and Tetragoneuria, but this has not gained widespread acceptance and most references place them under this genus.

Species

The genus contains the following species:
ImageScientific nameCommon nameDistribution
Epitheca bimaculata Eurasian baskettailSerbia and Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, Ukraine
Epitheca canis beaverpond baskettailCanada and northern United States.
Epitheca costalis slender baskettail or stripe-winged baskettaileastern and southern United States
Epitheca cynosura common baskettaileastern and southern United States
Epitheca marginata China, Korea, Japan
Epitheca petechialis dot-winged baskettailSouth central United States
Epitheca princeps Hagen, 1861prince baskettailmidwestern and eastern United States.
Epitheca semiaquea mantled baskettaileastern United States.
Epitheca sepia sepia baskettailNorth America
Epitheca spinigera spiny baskettailnorthern United States and southern Canada
Epitheca spinosa robust baskettaileastern United States.
Epitheca stella Florida baskettailFlorida