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stream cruiser
stream crusier (Didymops transversa)
Photo © Paul Dacko
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The stream cruiser has a brown face with a yellow stripe across the front, a brown thorax with dense, white hairs on top, and brown legs. Their abdomen is brown with yellow spots along the back with a line through them. The base of each wing has a tiny brown spot. Females have a thicker abdomen and a less pronounced abdominal pattern. The stream cruiser is like the river cruiser (Macromia illinoiensis) but is brown instead of black, smaller, and flies earlier in the season. They may also be mistaken for clubtails (Gomphidae) but have larger eyes and different flight behavior.
BEHAVIORS
The stream cruiser can be found in the southern and eastern halves of Illinois from May to June. They fly along lake shores (unlike the river cruiser) and hang in woodlands when not in flight. They feed on other large insects and dragonflies. Males fly up and down shorelines patrolling for a mate. Females deposit eggs by coasting along the surface of the water and tapping the water.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Libellulidae
Illinois Status: common, native
