Belmont County
Known species county: 56
Total Observations county: 1,194
Population: 69,571
Area in Square Miles: 532
People per Square Mile: 128
Observations per Square Mile: 1.7
Percent of State Species: 32%
Percent of State Observations: 0.4%
County iNaturalist observations
The Observed Species table provides statistical data on all odonata species that have been observed in the county. Below that is a Target Species table listing species that have not yet been documented in this county, but are likely to exist in the county. This list is data-driven by listing species records from neighboring counties.
Observed Species
Common Name | Scientific Name | Belmont Total | Ohio Total | Belmont 2025 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 137 | 19,534 | 19 | 2025 |
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 106 | 18,549 | 11 | 2025 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 89 | 12,693 | 12 | 2025 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 80 | 6,256 | 7 | 2025 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 78 | 14,355 | 18 | 2025 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 69 | 8,693 | 8 | 2025 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 66 | 15,432 | 1 | 2025 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 57 | 18,692 | 13 | 2025 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 40 | 7,716 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 39 | 10,084 | 9 | 2025 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 39 | 14,243 | 8 | 2025 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 39 | 7,430 | 3 | 2025 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 39 | 4,380 | 1 | 2025 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 26 | 4,461 | 0 | 2024 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 25 | 3,416 | 11 | 2025 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 19 | 10,593 | 1 | 2025 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 19 | 2,034 | 0 | 2024 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 18 | 5,543 | 1 | 2025 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 17 | 4,110 | 5 | 2025 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 15 | 1,962 | 2 | 2025 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 15 | 2,589 | 0 | 2024 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 14 | 3,264 | 2 | 2025 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 13 | 1,915 | 0 | 2024 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 12 | 6,026 | 0 | 2024 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 10 | 6,289 | 3 | 2025 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 9 | 5,911 | 1 | 2025 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 9 | 615 | 0 | 1991 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 8 | 5,028 | 7 | 2025 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 8 | 3,706 | 3 | 2025 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 7 | 4,080 | 4 | 2025 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 6 | 5,374 | 5 | 2025 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 6 | 4,797 | 3 | 2025 |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 6 | 763 | 1 | 2025 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 5 | 2,863 | 0 | 2022 |
| Eastern Least Clubtail | Stylogomphus albistylus | 5 | 382 | 0 | 2021 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 4 | 5,250 | 1 | 2025 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 4 | 2,314 | 0 | 2024 |
| Eastern Red Damsel | Amphiagrion saucium | 4 | 1,600 | 0 | 2023 |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 4 | 706 | 0 | 2024 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 3 | 1,106 | 1 | 2025 |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 3 | 1,067 | 0 | 2018 |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 3 | 466 | 0 | 2024 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 2 | 724 | 2 | 2025 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 2 | 1,238 | 1 | 2025 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 2 | 837 | 1 | 2025 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 2 | 999 | 0 | 2023 |
| Arrowhead Spiketail | Zoraena obliqua | 2 | 207 | 0 | 1999 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 1 | 1,903 | 0 | 2022 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 1 | 1,444 | 0 | 2019 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 1 | 1,355 | 0 | 2018 |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 1 | 1,150 | 0 | 2024 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 1 | 1,133 | 0 | 2020 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 1 | 991 | 0 | 1960 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 1 | 540 | 0 | 1959 |
| Rusty Snaketail | Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis | 1 | 428 | 0 | 1991 |
| Tiger Spiketail | Zoraena erronea | 1 | 134 | 0 | 1999 |
Target Species
Target species are potential County Records - species not yet documented in the county. 'Local Obs' is Local Observations and indicates the number of times that the species has been observed in adjacent counties since 2000, and '# of Counties' is the number of adjacent counties in which those recent observations took place. Zero local observations or recent counties means the existing records are historical. 'Peak Active' is a relative description of when the species has been known to fly.| Common Name | Scientific Name | Ohio Obs | Local Obs | # of Counties | Peak Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1,304 | 59 | 5 | Jun |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 1,353 | 22 | 4 | Sep-Oct |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 729 | 16 | 4 | mid Jun |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 706 | 11 | 4 | Jul |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 667 | 15 | 3 | Jul |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 1,012 | 7 | 3 | late May-mid Jun |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 679 | 7 | 3 | late Jul-Aug |
| Stream Cruiser | Macromia transversa | 163 | 4 | 3 | May |
| Banded Pennant | Celithemis fasciata | 977 | 23 | 2 | Jul |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 1,069 | 15 | 2 | late Aug-late Sep |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 1,043 | 8 | 2 | May-Jun |
| Gray Petaltail | Tachopteryx thoreyi | 494 | 7 | 2 | Jun |
| Blue Corporal | Ladona deplanata | 696 | 5 | 2 | May |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 486 | 5 | 2 | Jun |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 759 | 3 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Arrow Clubtail | Stylurus spiniceps | 341 | 3 | 2 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Common Sanddragon | Progomphus obscurus | 171 | 24 | 1 | late Jun-mid Jul |
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Zoraena diastatops | 150 | 5 | 1 | early Jun |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 616 | 2 | 1 | Jun |
| Smoky Rubyspot | Hetaerina titia | 421 | 2 | 1 | early Sep |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 708 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 605 | 1 | 1 | Jul-Aug |
| Russet-tipped Clubtail | Stylurus plagiatus | 461 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 395 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 383 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 199 | 1 | 1 | Jun-Jul |
| Black-tipped Darner | Aeshna tuberculifera | 181 | 1 | 1 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Gilded River Cruiser | Macromia pacifica | 92 | 1 | 1 | late Jul |
| Beaverpond Baskettail | Epitheca canis | 89 | 1 | 1 | May |
| Stygian Shadowdragon | Neurocordulia yamaskanensis | 74 | 1 | 1 | late Jun |
| Tule Bluet | Enallagma carunculatum | 685 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Jul |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 329 | 0 | 0 | May |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 251 | 0 | 0 | Aug |
| Green-faced Clubtail | Hylogomphus viridifrons | 99 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Twin-spotted Spiketail | Zoraena maculata | 99 | 0 | 0 | late May-mid Jun |
| Riffle Snaketail | Ophiogomphus carolus | 64 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Northern Spreadwing | Lestes disjunctus | 24 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Aug |
| Northern Pygmy Clubtail | Lanthus parvulus | 7 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
Located entirely within the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, Belmont County borders the Ohio River. Stillwell Creek was dammed in neighboring Harrison County to create the 2,720 Acres of Piedmont Lake, with 36.9 Miles of shoreline, most of which is within Belmont County. Much of the county has been strip mined.
County Observation Activity
This graph shows the total number of odonata observations for the county in blue, with the average for all Ohio counties in orange. The season is divided into 10 or 11 day segments by Month – basically early-month, mid-month, and late-month.
Page updated 2 January 2025