Species Spotlight: Chalk-fronted Corporal

Our next species, the Chalk-fronted Corporal, is not all that common in western Washington. It's a bit muted in the color department, too, consisting mostly of shades of black and gray. Still, it's a distinctive and easily identified species, and one that is always fun to see.

Here's the first documented sighting of a Chalk-fronted Corporal in Skagit County.



We saw this individual at Barnaby Slough near the town of Rockport, WA, and were completely surprised when it appeared. Before that we had only seen Chalk-fronted Corporals in eastern Oregon. It gave us an opportunity to take a couple pictures for documentation, and then took off—never to be seen again.

Notice the mostly black body, with grayish pruinosity at the base of the abdomen and on the front of the thorax. The light, or chalk-colored, bars on the front of the thorax give the species its name, since they are reminiscent of the "corporal" insignia in the military.

Here's the second documented sighting of this species in Skagit County, this time at Thunder Lake on the North Cascades Highway.



Another view of the same individual:



We look forward to summer, when we may get to see another Chalk-fronted Corporal in our area!

For more details on this and other species of dragonflies and damselflies on the Pacific Coast, check out my new field guide:

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