Right now this species is not threatened, but the desert whitetail populations are declining.

In California, the desert whitetail can be found in all its deserts.

The desert whitetail looks similar to the common whitetail which has much less white on the wing.

Desert whitetail naiads live in submerged aquatic grasses and sedges.

The desert whitetail perches on twigs and rocks.

Mature males, females, and immature males of desert whitetails look different:

Desert Whitetails fly generally fly from early July to early September.

The Desert Whitetail (Plathemis subornata) is a species of dragonfly in the family in Libellulidae.

The desert whitetail will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect such as mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.

The naiad of the desert whitetail feeds on many aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp.

The desert whitetail is found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington.

Mature Male: Every wing of the desert whitetail is marked with a small, dark, elongated spot, possibly with a clear center, near the base, and with a large, dark band spanning the width of the wing, from the center to the outer fourth of the wing near the tip.

The Desert Whitetail (Plathemis subornata) is a species of dragonfly in the family in Libellulidae.