Flight season: mid-May to early July.
Population: rare, sole encounter with this species to date.
Look for this darner in conifer swamps and fens.
Length: about 55 mm.
Its relatively small size, mottled irregular pattern on the sides of the thorax and orange spots at the beginning of each segment separate this species from other local darners.
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West of Tweed, Ontario, along the trans-Canada Trail:
pastures and meadows bordered by hedgerows.
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Male Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) –
atypical to find this species near open meadows and farmland, a long way from suitable breeding habitat.
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Photos by Jason King (June 02, 2015)
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Tweed, Ontario, along the trans-Canada Trail about 1 km west of town:
marsh supporting Cattails, ferns and sedges, bordered by swampy woodland.
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Female Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata)
Photo by Jason King (May 28, 2015)
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Male Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) –
two other males were observed perching on the trail, about half a kilometer east of where this individual was encountered
(June 01, 2016).
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East of Tweed, Ontario, along the trans-Canada Trail:
deciduous woodland with clearings created by the trans-Canada Trail, Stoco Lake nearby to the south.
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Female Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) –
not a place one would expect this darner, however, there are some low swampy wooded areas to the north of the trail,
though somewhat limited in extent and hardly qualifying as a conifer swamp
(June 07, 2015).
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Male Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata)
June 04, 2016
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Tweed, Ontario:
residential and business area.
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Male Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) –
roadkill, but an opportunity to acquire an image of the terminalia, including the forked epiroct, unique among Darners
(May 31, 2016).
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