Dark Whiteface

Leucorrhinia albifrons · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

Also called: Eastern White-faced Darter

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Dark Whiteface
Photo: Christoph Moning, CC BY

The dark whiteface is a medium-sized dragonfly with a dull, dark look and males show a frosted bluish-grey colour. Females lay eggs on the water surface and the larvae develop for three years in shallow, vegetated water before emerging together as adults in late spring to mid-summer, most commonly in June.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Males have a frosted bluish-grey colour and the species can be told apart by white patches on the labium.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Females lay eggs alone on the water surface, and the larvae develop for three years in shallow, vegetation-rich water.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Larval development lasts three years in shallow, vegetated water, after which almost all individuals emerge at the same time.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults appear from late April in the southern part of the range or from late May to mid-August, with a peak in June.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Dark Whiteface photo 3
Photo: purperlibel, CC BY-SA

Same family (Libellulidae)

Blue DasherBlue DasherPachydiplax longipennisEastern PondhawkEastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollisCommon WhitetailCommon WhitetailPlathemis lydiaWidow SkimmerWidow SkimmerLibellula luctuosaAutumn MeadowhawkAutumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinumCommon DarterCommon DarterSympetrum striolatum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leucorrhinia_albifrons

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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