NC Odonate Website

Related Species in CORDULIIDAE:

Number of records for 2025 = 0

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Alabama Shadowdragon (Neurocordulia alabamensis) by Mark Shields

Compare with: Smoky Shadowdragon Umber Shadowdragon Stygian Shadowdragon Cinnamon Shadowdragon
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Note: these identification tips apply to both sexes. Female depicted here.

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Map

Click on county for list of all its records for Alabama Shadowdragon

Flight Charts

Distribution

Ranges across the southwestern 40-50% of the Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills region; seemingly absent from the Piedmont. As NC lies at the northeastern end of the range, the northern limits at present are Montgomery, Moore, Lee, Johnston, and Edgecombe counties. There have been one or two reports from the lower Piedmont, but there are seemingly no specimens or photographs to document its presence in that province as yet.

Abundance

Very difficult to assess for all five shadowdragons in NC because of their crepuscular habits. As it has been found in practically all potential counties in NC within its range, it must not be truly scarce, and the nearly 60 records (for a crepuscular species) with available dates attest to it not being rare. Dunkle (2000) calls the species "common but seldom seen" across its full range, which might apply as well to NC. Likely, it is uncommon to fairly common in the Sandhills region, and rare to uncommon elsewhere in the southern Coastal Plain, but especially scarce in the central Coastal Plain.

Flight

The flight is from mid-May to late August, though most do not appear until mid-June, and the peak is from late June to mid-July.

Habitat

Small creeks in forested regions, often where sandy and with low flow.

Behavior

Strictly crepuscular, with most flying taking place about 30 minutes before dusk. It spends the remainder of the day hanging on twigs in shade in forests, where very seldom seen. When it does fly, it can be seen over ponds as well as creeks. Kittelberger and Bockhahn (2020) observed the behavior of two females and a putative male at Bones Fork, the tannic outflow creek of Lake Bagget in Richmond County. Females flew in a tight circle inches above the water in a jittery cranefly-like flight, whereas the male flew longer beats up and down the creek at a greater height (6-12 inches). The entire flight lasted only 19 minutes, from 8:20 - 8:39pm.

Comments

To see shadowdragons, observers must visit creeks and other bodies of water in shaded places during the last hour of daylight, with a net handy to catch whatever may be seen flying over the water. In fact, Dunkle (2000) calls this species "One of the world's most elusive dragonflies" because of its very narrow flight time during the day, often for just 10-20 minutes near dusk. Though it is not rare in the state, it is poorly known by today's biologists/observers, and the N.C. Natural Heritage Program retains the species on its Watch List.

State Rank

S3?

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Species account update: LeGrand on 2022-01-26 10:04:28

The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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Photo Gallery for Alabama Shadowdragon 12 photos are shown.		Other NC Galleries: Jeff Pippen Will Cook Ted Wilcox
	Photo 1 by: Lucas Wilson Comment: Richmond; C, 2024-06-18, - Hitchcock Creek Greenway, Steele Street Access. With eggs.		Photo 2 by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-06-08, Lake Bagget
	Photo 3 by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-06-08, Lake Bagget; female netted, probably 2 females and 1 male present. Photo by K. Kittelberger		Photo 4 by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-06-08, Lake Bagget; female netted, probably 2 females and 1 male present. Photo by K. Kittelberger
	Photo 5 by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-06-08, Lake Bagget; female netted and photographed, probably 2 females and 1 male present. Photo by K. Kittelberger		Photo 6 by: B. Bockhahn, K. Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2020-06-08, Lake Bagget; female netted and photographed, probably 2 females and 1 male present. Photo by K. Kittelberger
	Photo 7 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Comment: Pender, 2019-05-29, Ashes Creek at Shaw Highway bridge - Female netted, photographed, and released		Photo 8 by: Rick Cheicante Comment: Richmond; C, 2018-06-09, Sandhills Game Land: Bagget Lake and surrounding area.
	Photo 9 by: Rick Cheicante Comment: Richmond; C, 2018-06-09, Sandhills Game Land: Bagget Lake and surrounding area.		Photo 10 by: Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett Comment: Scotland, 2015-06-14, - Two tenerals found in drainage from Scotland Lake
	Photo 11 by: Scott Hartley Comment: Moore; C, 2009-07-01, Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve - antenodal wing spots extend all the way to nodus and the edges of the spots are not bold as in Smoky Shadowdragon.		Photo 12 by: Scott Hartley Comment: Moore; C, 2007-07-01, Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve - Found at Paint Hill.