The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
Home Page Search Odonate Resources
LoginNC Biodiversity ProjectComments
North Carolina's 189 Odonate species
Common Name: Scientific Name:

«      »

Sort Species by: Family   Scientific Name       [ Undocumented ]
Related Species in CORDULEGASTRIDAE: Number of records for 2025 = 0

PDF has more details,
e.g., flight data, high counts, and earliest/latest dates can be seen.
[View PDF]		Brown Spiketail (Zoraena bilineata) by Mark Shields
Compare with: Twin-spotted Spiketail   Arrowhead Spiketail   Tiger Spiketail  
Identification Tips: Move the cursor over the image, or tap the image if using a mobile device, to reveal ID Tips.
Note: these identification tips apply specifically to mature males; features may differ in immature males and in females.
Zoraena_bilineata

[Google images]     [Global Biodiversity Information Facility]      iNaturalist
Map
Click on county for list of all its records for Brown Spiketail
Flight Charts
Distribution Present over most of the state, except absent close to the coast and in most of the lower Coastal Plain; a few recent photo records for the lower half of the Coastal Plain (Gates and Jones counties). Most widespread in the mountains, lacking records for just three counties there.
Abundance Fairly common in the mountains (at least in the northern counties), but uncommon in the northern Piedmont and rather rare in the southern Piedmont. Rare to uncommon in the Coastal Plain portion of the range. Much more common in the mountains than downstate. Many recent records across the state, and possibly is increasing in the Coastal Plain and eastern Piedmont portions of the range.
Flight Late April to mid-July in the mountains, but strongly advanced (as expected) in the Piedmont, where it flies from late March or early April and extends at least to mid-June (if not later). The Coastal Plain flight occurs from late March only to early June, though April is the primary month.
Habitat Small streams or seeps, often with little flow; typically in wooded areas.
Behavior Typically flies slowly over streams or seeps or in nearby clearings. Perches on low twigs, in an oblique manner typical of spiketails.
Comments This species can be confused with the somewhat similar, but slightly more widespread Twin-spotted Spiketail. Both can occur together along mountain and Piedmont wooded roadsides and clearings along woods and small creeks. Steve Hall and Harry LeGrand saw and photographed the species on several occasions in 2012 near the Roanoke River, adding first records for Halifax and Northampton counties. Surprising were photo records in 2017 by Hunter Phillips for Jones County and by Signa and Floyd Williams for Gates County. A photo record in 2019 added Wayne County, near the eastern edge of the range, to the species map.

The spiketails in North America had a change in genus name from Cordulegaster to Zoraena in fall 2024 (Paulson et al. 2024).
State Rank S4
State Status
Global Rank G5
Federal Status
Synonym Cordulegaster bilineata
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2024-09-29 13:04:57
Photo Gallery for Brown Spiketail   38 photos are available.
Only the most recent 30 are shown.
Other NC Galleries:    Jeff Pippen    Will Cook    Ted Wilcox
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 1 by: G. McGrane

Comment: Caldwell, 2024-06-11, Globe Mtn Road - FR 288		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 2 by: Amy Padgett

Comment: Bladen, 2024-04-10, Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest - Clearing at edge of forest
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 3 by: Amy Padgett

Comment: Bladen, 2024-04-10, Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest - Clearing at edge of forest		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 4 by: B. Bockhahn

Comment: Buncombe, 2022-05-16, Pisgah State Park
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 5 by: P Dixon

Comment: Madison, 2022-05-12, Davis Branch		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 6 by: B. Bockhahn

Comment: Wilkes; M, 2022-05-02, Rendezvous Mountain State Park - Above Amadahy Falls
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 7 by: Max Ramey, Aaron Reb

Comment: Watauga, 2021-07-17, Cow Pasture Fen- Blue Ridge Parkway		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 8 by: Cesar Castillo

Comment: Swain, 2021-06-17, Cherokee. Near Oconaluftee River Trail. Lat: 35.500177 Lon: -83.303785 iNaturalist record #85398796
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 9 by: Will Stuart

Comment: Rutherford; M, 2021-05-06, One along CC Road, the second well above the gates. - About 2 miles apart.		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 10 by: p dixon

Comment: Madison, 2020-05-02, Hot Springs area, River Rd
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 11 by: p dixon

Comment: Madison, 2020-05-01, Davis Branch Meadows, Hot Springs area		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 12 by: John Petranka, Sally Gewalt

Comment: Yancey, 2019-05-23, Black Mountain Campground. - Males. At seep.
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 13 by: Pete Dixon

Comment: Madison, 2019-05-13, River Road, Murray Branch Meadows		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 14 by: Pete Dixon

Comment: Madison, 2019-05-13, River Road, Murray Branch Meadows
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 15 by: John Petranka, Mark Shields

Comment: Durham, 2019-04-18, Eno River State Park (ENRI) - Cole Mill Section. Along powerline corridor SW of Old Cole Mill Rd. - Female.		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 16 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips

Comment: Wayne, 2019-04-15, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park (CLNE) - First record for county.
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 17 by: John Petranka, Sally Gewalt

Comment: Guilford, 2019-04-11, Haw River State Park (HARI). Iron Ore Belt Access; seep and wetland along Great Blue Heron Trail. - Males.		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 18 by: Mark Shields, John Petranka, Sally Gewalt

Comment: Jackson, 2018-06-26, Panthertown Valley, Nantahala National Forest - in bog
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 19 by: John Petranka, Sally Gewalt.

Comment: Orange, 2018-05-07, Brumley Forest Preserve, South side of Hwy. NC 10. - Males. Seep below spring house.		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 20 by: John Petranka

Comment: Orange, 2017-04-22, Patrolling seep at Brumley Forest Nature Preserve. - Males.
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 21 by: Hunter Phillips

Comment: Jones, 2017-04-09, Haywood Landing Recreation Site		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 22 by: S. Williams, F. Williams

Comment: Gates, 2017-04-09, MEMI
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 23 by: Timothy Deering

Comment: Buncombe, 2016-05-27, Dark Hollow Creek		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 24 by: Jim Petranka

Comment: Buncombe, 2015-05-29, Along shaded, first-order stream at Sandy Bottom
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 25 by: John Petranka

Comment: Durham, 2015-05-15, Eno River State Park (ENRI). Along Pump Station Trail. - Male.		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 26 by: Vin Stanton, Gail Lankford, Janie Owen

Comment: Madison, 2014-05-21, River Road, French Broad River north of Hot Springs - Male
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 27 by: Cary and David Paynter

Comment: Watauga, 2012-06-19, high elevation bog		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 28 by: Doug Johnston

Comment: Buncombe, 2012-05-16, north Buncombe County, Leicester patch
Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 29 by: Steve Hall and Harry LeGrand

Comment: Halifax, 2012-03-30, One male observed patrolling along a creek; one male and a mated pair photographed along a pipeline; all located near the Roanoke River		Brown Spiketail, Zoraena bilineataPhoto 30 by: Steve Hall and Harry LeGrand

Comment: Halifax, 2012-03-30, One male observed patrolling along a creek; one male and a mated pair photographed along a pipeline; all located near the Roanoke River