Reproductive behavior of Cordulia shurtleffi Scudder (Anisoptera: Corduliidae)

The reproductive behaviour of C. shurtleffi was studied at a sphagnum bog pond near Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. No feeding occurred at the pond, only mating and oviposition. Males briefly patrol about 15 m of shoreline and attempt to drive away any conspecific males. Females visit shoreline areas to oviposit in water overhung by shrubs. When detected by patrolling males, ovipositing females are grasped in tandem and the pair flies into the surrounding forest where copulation occurs.