[Odonata-l] mystery egg masses

[Dennis Paulson]

Hello, all.

Has anyone out there photographed or seen clearly the egg strings of  
any species of Epitheca (including Epicordulia and Tetragoneuria)? I  
have often seen the females ovipositing, but in water too deep for me  
to go look at the eggs. Judy Semroc, a colleague in Ohio, has sent me  
photos of linear masses of eggs that look much like odonate eggs  
looped around floating plant stems. But the masses are up to a couple  
of inches wide and two feet long, with thousands of eggs in them. The  
eggs are elongate and don't look like any amphibian eggs I have ever  
seen (most North American genera). I know female Epitheca sometimes  
gather at single localities and lay many eggs, but this seems a bit  
much. If you cut across one of these "strings," you would hit about  
5-10 eggs. I have no idea what else they could be, and if anyone else  
knows, I would much appreciate the information. I can send the photos  
to anyone with special interest in this.

Thanks for any help with this mystery.
-----
Dennis Paulson
1724 NE 98 St.
Seattle, WA 98115
206-528-1382
dennispaulson at comcast.net



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