Black Bent vs Common Baskettail

Agrostis gigantea compared with Epitheca cynosura

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black Bent	Common Baskettail
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Corduliidae
Genus	Agrostis	Epitheca
Species	Agrostis gigantea	Epitheca cynosura

Conservation Status

Black Bent

LC — Least Concern

Common Baskettail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black Bent	Common Baskettail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black Bent

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan), Europe (11 countries), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (5 countries).

Common Baskettail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Black Bent

The Black Bent (Agrostis gigantea) is a species in the genus Agrostis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Common Baskettail

The common baskettail (<em>Epitheca cynosura</em>) is a dragonfly found across terrestrial and freshwater habitats of the United States. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting a stable and widespread population within its native range. <em>Epitheca cynosura</em> belongs to the family Corduliidae and is typically associated with ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow-moving streams, where its aquatic larvae develop. Adults are often observed patrolling over open water and forest edges in search of prey and mates. The species is named for the basket-like egg mass that females carry at the tip of their abdomen before depositing eggs in water. Males often form feeding swarms, particularly in the morning hours, where they capture small flying insects. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.