Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. Their overall coloration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Blues are typically created by microstructures in the cuticle that reflect blue light. Greens often combine a structural blue with a yellow pigment. Freshly emerged adults, known as tenerals, are often pale-coloured and obtain their typical colours after a few days, some have their bodies covered with a pale blue, waxy powderiness called pruinosity; it wears off when scraped during mating, leaving darker areas. Some dragonflies, such as the green darner, "Anax junius", have a noniridescent blue which is produced structurally by scatter from arrays of tiny spheres in the endoplasmic reticulum of epidermal cells underneath the cuticle.
Coloration
Dragonfly
Dragonfly | Coloration
It is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Overall coloration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. Their overall coloration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Their overall coloration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours.
what are the life stages of a dragonfly
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Dragonflies are hemimetabolous insects; they do not have a pupal stage and undergo an incomplete metamorphosis with a series of nymphal stages from which the adult emerges.
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what are they ?
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It is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, infraorder Anisoptera.
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any conservation efforts to protect it ?
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In 1997, the International Union for Conservation of Nature set up a status survey and conservation action plan for dragonflies.
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talk about their coloration ?
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Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. Their overall coloration is often a combination of yellow, red, brown, and black pigments, with structural colours. Blues are typically created by microstructures in the cuticle that reflect blue light. Greens often combine a structural blue with a yellow pigment. Freshly emerged adults, known as tenerals, are often pale-coloured and obtain their typical colours after a few days, some have their bodies covered with a pale blue, waxy powderiness called pruinosity; it wears off when scraped during mating, leaving darker areas. Some dragonflies, such as the green darner, "Anax junius", have a noniridescent blue which is produced structurally by scatter from arrays of tiny spheres in the endoplasmic reticulum of epidermal cells underneath the cuticle.
Dragonfly | Coloration
In 1997, the International Union for Conservation of Nature set up a status survey and conservation action plan for dragonflies. This proposes the establishment of protected areas around the world and the management of these areas to provide suitable habitat for dragonflies. Outside these areas, encouragement should be given to modify forestry, agricultural, and industrial practices to enhance conservation. At the same time, more research into dragonflies needs to be done, consideration should be given to pollution control and the public should be educated about the importance of biodiversity. Habitat degradation has reduced dragonfly populations across the world, for example in Japan.
Dragonfly | Conservation
It is a medium sized dragonfly with red eyes, thorax and abdomen. But young males and females have a mid-dorsal citron-yellow stripe in the pro-thorax and a citron-yellow stripe on mid-dorsum of the abdominal segments. These marks get obscured by pruinescence in adult males. Color of female is brown. It breeds in open ponds, marshes and lakes.
Rhodothemis rufa | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with dark reddish-brown eyes. Its thorax is dark chocolate-brown on dorsum and humeral region, paling on sides. Wings are transparent, tinted with deep golden-amber at base. Abdomen and anal appendages are bright red. Female is similar to the male; but greenish-yellow in colors. It breeds in weedy ponds and lakes.
Aethriamanta brevipennis | Description and habitat
It is a yellowish red dragonfly with reddish brown eyes. It has a broad basal amber-yellow marking at base of all wings. Its abdomen is reddish with a ventro-lateral brownish stripe interrupted at apical end of segments 3 to 8. Young males and females are more yellowish red. It is more common at sea level all along the coast but becoming rare in the hills.
Neurothemis intermedia | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with brown capped eyes, greenish brown thorax and bluish abdomen. Female lacks the powder blue pruinescence. It prefers medium to slow-flowing streams in the dry zones and hot plains. Adults are common around open rocky and sandy beds of the streams.
Orthetrum taeniolatum | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with yellowish white face and blue eyes. Its thorax is yellowish green with some brown stripes. Its wings are transparent, including the base. Its abdomen is pruinosed with azure blue up to the last segments. In old adults, thorax will also get pruinosed, obscuring whole the marks. Females and young males are yellowish green. They breed in marshes and swampy areas in the plains.
Orthetrum luzonicum | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum, marked with yellow. There is a mesothoracic collar, oblique antehumeral stripes joined to the mesothoracic collar, and complete humeral stripes. Laterally yellow, with two black lines mapping out the sutures. The humeral stripes tapering to a point below, and black lines on lateral sutures rather thicker. Segment 1 of the abdomen is black, with a large lateral yellow spot. Segment 2 has a narrow basal black ring and broad sub-basal black stripes. Segments 3 to 6 have yellow basal rings and median dorsal spots. Segment 7 has its basal half yellow.
Nychogomphus striatus | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with thorax black on dorsum, and yellow on the sides. There is a slightly oblique ante-humeral stripe and two narrow parallel black stripes on the sutures enclosing an equally narrow yellow line. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow. Segment 1 has a large spot on the dorsum and the sides. Segment 2 has a mid-dorsal spot. Segment 3 to 7 have basal rings, narrow on 3 to 6, occupying the basal half on segment 7. Segment 8 to 10 are unmarked. Anal appendages are yellow, black on the base. This species is found in banks of montane forest streams where it breeds.
Davidioides martini | Description and habitat
It is a large dragonfly with its head rather broad from side to side and eyes are moderately separated with emerald green colour. Its thorax is black with three oblique bright yellow stripes. Its wings are transparent with dark brown apices and black pterostigma. Abdomen is black with yellow markings. The colour and markings of the female is very similar to the male. It is commonly found in mountains in the Western Ghats, soaring in high altitudes. The species is named after .
Chlorogomphus campioni | Description and habitat
This dragonfly is 24 to 34 millimeters long, with a hindwing 25 to 30 millimeters long. It can be identified by the brown spots at the bases and tips of the wings. The pterostigma is yellow in younger individuals, and red in older. The face is yellow, turning red in older male specimens. The thorax is yellow-brown with a large dark stripe and several smaller brown stripes. The abdomen is dark with paler markings.
Celithemis elisa | Description
It is a black and yellow dragonfly with bluish grey eyes. Its thorax is yellow, marked with blackish-brown stripes. There is a black dorsal line bordering the mesothoraoic collar on either side of the mid-dorsal carina and an oblique antehumeral line to join this line in its upper part, thus enclosing a thin stripe of the yellow colour. There is a line on the humeral suture and two lateral lines close together on the postero-lateral suture. Abdomen is black marked with yellow basal rings. Segment 1 has the sides broadly yellow and a large dorsal apical spot. Segment 2 has a sub-dorsal black line on each side enclosing a dorsal yellow spot.
Paragomphus lineatus | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with black-capped greenish eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum with black humeral stripes; the area between them is pale green. The lateral sides are azure blue. Abdominal segments 1 and 2 are azure blue with black marks on the dorsum. Mark on segment 2 looks like a chalice or thistle-head. Segments 3 to 7 are black on dorsum and pale green on the sides. Segments 8 and 9 are azure blue with black apical annules. Segment 10 is black. Female has yellowish green thorax and green eyes capped with yellowish green. Color of the abdomen is similar to the male; but paler.
Pseudagrion indicum | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with dark thorax with slight purple pruinescence and purple colored abdomen. Young males have red abdomen as in "Orthetrum chrysis". Females of both species look similar. It breeds in ponds, lakes and sluggish streams.
Orthetrum pruinosum | Description and habitat
Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight. An adult dragonfly's compound eyes have nearly 24,000 ommatidia each. Fossils of very large dragonfly ancestors in the Protodonata are found from 325 million years ago (Mya) in Upper Carboniferous rocks; these had wingspans up to about . There are about 3,000 extant species. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Dragonflies are predators, both in their aquatic larval stage, when they are known as nymphs or naiads, and as adults.
Dragonfly | Introduction
It is a large dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black; marked with bright greenish-yellow stripes. Abdomen is black, marked with bright citron-yellow. Segment 1 has a small apical dorsal triangle and the whole of the sides. Segment 2 has a dorsal and a lateral stripe, broad at the base. Segment 3 has a dorsal stripe and a lateral wedge-shaped spot at the base. Segments 4 and 5 have a chain of three dorsal spots. Segment 6 has a single baso-dorsal spo. Segment 7 has more than the basal half yellow. Segments 8 and 9 have small lateral basal triangular spots.
Megalogomphus hannyngtoni | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with dark face and greenish blue eyes. The thorax of old males are dark blue due to pruinescence. Its wings are transparent with dark amber-yellow tint in the extreme base. Its abdomen is pruinosed with blue color up to segment 8; last two segments are black. It breeds in marshes associated with forest streams, plantations and canals.
Orthetrum glaucum | Description and habitat
The wings of dragonflies are generally clear, apart from the dark veins and pterostigmata. In the chasers (Libellulidae), however, many genera have areas of colour on the wings: for example, groundlings ("Brachythemis") have brown bands on all four wings, while some scarlets ("Crocothemis") and dropwings ("Trithemis") have bright orange patches at the wing bases. Some aeshnids such as the brown hawker ("Aeshna grandis") have translucent, pale yellow wings.
Dragonfly | Coloration
"Diplacodes trivialis" is small dragonfly with bluish eyes and greenish-yellow or olivaceous thorax and abdomen with black marks. In very old adults, the whole thorax and abdomen become uniform pruinosed blue. Clear wings, without apical or basal markings, and the creamy white anal appendages and deep pruinescence in adults help to distinguish this species from others in its genus. It breeds in ponds, wet rice fields, shallow lakes, drainage ditches and similar habitats. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Asia, found in both the plains and hills and in dry and wet areas.
Diplacodes trivialis | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with dark-brown eyes. Its thorax is yellowish-brown, with black metallic markings. All marks are obscured by bluish-white pruinescence in adults. Abdomen is black on dorsum, marked with broad yellow spots on the sides in sub-adults and tenerals. All the marks are obscured by blue pruinescence in adults. Female is similar to the teneral male. It breeds in marshes, ditches, and ponds.
Brachydiplax sobrina | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with greenish-yellow ante-humeral stripes. Sides are greenish-yellow, marked with two narrow black stripes. Wings are transparent, slightly tinted with yellow at bases. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow. Segment 1 and 2 have broad dorsal stripes, and its sides. Segment 3 has a mid-dorsal carina of yellow, and a large baso-lateral spot. Segment 4 to 6 have basal dorsal triangular spots and baso-lateral lunules. Segment 7 has a broad basal ring. Segment 8 is unmarked. Segment 9 has its apical half yellow. Segment 10 is unmarked. Anal appendages are black.
Burmagomphus laidlawi | Description and habitat
In insects, a "bloom" caused by wax particles on top of an insect's cuticle that covers up the underlying coloration, giving a dusty or frosted appearance. The pruinescence is commonly white to pale blue in color, but can also be gray, pink, purple, or red; these colors may be produced by Tyndall scattering of light. When pale in color, pruinescence often strongly reflects ultraviolet. Pruinescence is found in many species of Odonata, particularly damselflies of the families Lestidae and Coenagrionidae, where it occurs on the wings and body. Among true dragonflies it is most common on male Libellulidae (skimmers). In the Common Whitetail and Blue Dasher dragonflies ("Plathemis lydia" and "Pachydiplax longipennis"), males display the pruinescence on the back of the abdomen to other males as a territorial threat.
Pruinescence | Entomology
It is a large dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax black, marked with yellow. There are two broad and oval greenish-yellow dorsal stripes, pointed below and not nearly meeting the meso-thoracic collar. There are two broad yellow stripes separated by a broad black stripe on each side. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow. Segment 1 has a fine apical dorsal ring. Segment 2 has a small oval dorsal spot on the basal two-thirds. Segment 3 to 6 have dorsal basal spots. Segment 7 has the basal half yellow. Segment 8 has a long transverse basal spot. Segment 9 is unmarked.
Gomphidia kodaguensis | Description and habitat
It is a small metallic-green dragonfly with emerald-green eyes. Its lateral sides of the thorax and dorsal side of the abdomen have yellow stripes up to segment 6. Segment 7 has a broad "ace of clubs" like mark on dorsal side. Remaining segments are unmarked. Female is similar to the male. They are crepuscular in nature and rest in vegetation near forest streams during day.
Macromidia donaldi | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black with slightly interrupted mesothoracic collar and narrow ante-humeral stripes. There is a broad black stripe on postero-lateral suture. Abdomen is black, marked with greenish yellow. Segment 1 has a narrow apical border. Segment 2 has a broad basal ring. Segments 3 to 6 have narrow basal rings. Segment 7 is similar, but broader. Segments 8 to 10 are unmarked. Female is similar to the male. It looks similar to "Microgomphus torquatus"; but can be distinguished by the marks on thorax and by the shape of the anal appendages.
Microgomphus souteri | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with greenish blue eyes. Thorax is brown on dorsum, changing to yellowish-brown on the sides. The dorsum of thorax is marked with a pair of narrow ante-humeral metallic green stripes expanded outwardly at the abdominal end like a hockey stick. There are three tiny black spots on the lateral sides. The brown color of the thorax will change to bluish-white due to pruinescence in adults. Its abdomen is pale yellowish brown at the sides in the young, marked broadly on dorsum with metallic green, up to segment 8. The basal half of segment 9 is black and the apical half is yellowish brown.
Lestes elatus | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with brown-capped yellowish-green eyes. Its thorax is olivaceous-brown, marked with a reddish-brown humeral stripe and two brownish stripes on each side. Wings are transparent; but with a broad bright orange fascia extending from base to within 2 to 3 cells of reddish pterostigma. Abdomen is ochreous-red, marked with dorsal and sub-dorsal brown stripes. Anal appendages are in reddish-brown. Female is similar to the male; but in pale yellowish-green color. Wings are transparent, tinted with yellow at extreme base;, but the bright orange fascia seen in the male absent. It breeds in weedy ponds, lakes, and slowly moving streams; especially in sluggish waters.
Brachythemis contaminata | Description and habitat
The species is widely spread and populations do not appear to be declining, although like many dragonflies it is likely being impacted by water pollution, drainage and habitat loss through agricultural expansion and intensification.
Trithemis pluvialis | Conservation
It is a medium sized dragonfly with bluish-green eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with pale blue. There are two fine mid-dorsal stripes and a humeral stripe broadening below. Laterally blue, with a rather broad black stripe which bifurcates below to form an inverted Y. Abdomen is slim, black, marked with pale blue. There is a large lateral spot and a triangular apical mid-dorsal spot on segment 1. There is a fine mid-dorsal stripe, a large subdorsal apical spot and a large ventro-lateral spot on segment 2. Segments 3 to 6 have lateral stripes. Segment 7 has a large dorsal spot on the basal three-fourths.
Hylaeothemis apicalis | Description and habitat
It is a large dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is velvet-black marked with tender-foliage green. Segment 1 of the abdomen is black with lower part of sides and middle of apical border dorsally pale grass-green. Segment 2 is black with a mid-dorsal stripe bordered with yellow or grass-green. Segment 3 is with a narrow mid-dorsal stripe in green to yellow. The apical third of the segment is black, the medial third except on mid-dorsum bright reddish-brown. Segments 4 to 6 are similar to 3; but the middle third of all segments is entirely reddish-brown. Segment 7 has basal two-thirds citron-yellow and apical third black.
Megalogomphus superbus | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with emerald-green eyes. thorax metallic green. There is no humeral stripe. Laterally There is a narrow oblique stripe at the level of the spiracle and another on the hinder border of metepimeron. Beneath the side is black, bordered with yellow, and with a stripe of paler yellow at its middle. Abdomen is black. In segment 2, the ventral border and a narrow apical stripe in yellow. Segment 10 has a broad carina; but without a dorsal spine. Anal appendages are black. The male can be easily distinguished by the shape of its inferior anal appendage and the female by its safironated wings and conical vesicle.
Idionyx travancorensis | Description and habitat
A large dragonfly (length 61–64 mm; wingspan 87–91 mm). The eyes are green and the face deep yellow to greenish yellow; the upper frons has a central black spot within a yellow ring. The thorax is brown with green stripes, and the abdomen green with brown markings. The wings are slightly smoky with brown and yellow veins and reddish-brown to yellow-brown pterostigmata.
Pinheyschna subpupillata | Description
It is a large dragonfly with greenish-yellow eyes. Its thorax is olivaceous-brown, paler on sides. Wings are transparent with an amber-yellow patch. Abdomen is ochreous, marked with azure-blue and reddish-brown. Segment 2 is blue on dorsum and pale green on the sides. Segments 3 to 7 are olivaceous-yellow with irregular reddish-brown stripes on mid-dorsum and narrow black apical annules. There is a broad mid-dorsal blackish-brown stripe on segments 8 and 9, enclosing a pair of triangular yellow apical spots. Segment 10 is bright yellow, with its base and mid-dorsum broadly black. Female is similar to the male. Its natural habitats are shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and freshwater springs.
Anax ephippiger | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with reddish-brown eyes, yellowish-green beneath. Its thorax is metallic greenish-black on dorsum. There is a narrow ante-humeral brick-red stripe which get obscured by pruinescence in adults. There is also a brownish-white stripe on the sides between the lateral sutures which is also obscured by pruinescence in adults. Base of the lateral sides are well pruinosed in adults. Wings are transparent with the apices of the wings, deep blackish-brown. The pterostigma is dark reddish-brown. Abdomen is bronze-brown, dark on dorsum, with small, white basal rings on segments 2 to 8. Anal appendages are black. The broad black apices to the wings will help to distinguish it from all other species in the same genus.
Disparoneura apicalis | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with red eyes. thorax and abdomen. Its wings are transparent with a amber colored spot surrounded by a dark-brown patch in the base of hind-wings. Its abdomen is blood-red, with some black marking on the dorsum of segments 8 and 9. Female is similar to the male; but yellowish in color. The black spots on the dorsum is repeated on segments 3 to 7. Juvenile and sub-adult males also have these marks. This species breeds in ponds and slow flowing rivers, typically in lowland areas. The males often found perch on exposed twigs. This species has managed to colonise urban water bodies and park ponds.
Urothemis signata | Description and habitat
It is a large metallic bronze-green colored damselfly. Its fore-wings are transparent, tinted in pale yellow with green neuration. Its hind-wings are opaque in brilliant metallic green or peacock-blue according to angle of view. They flash the wings, displaying the colors to attract females. The colour is produced by interference from the thin surfaces of the wing membrane. Female is very similar to the male. But its wings are transparent and light coffee brown with white wings spots. There are another creamy yellow patches at the nodes. This species breeds in forest streams. The males maintain their territories along stretches of moderately fast-flowing streams.
Neurobasis chinensis | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with emerald-green eyes. Its thorax is metallic green with a golden reflex. There is no humeral stripe; but an oblique citron-yellow stripe bordering the antero-lateral suture, and a similar stripe on the lower posterior border of metepimeron. Beneath the side is blackish, striped with yellow. Abdomen is black. The borders of segment 2 ventrally yellow, and also a narrow incomplete annule on the apical border. Anal appendages are black. The male is easily distinguished by the shape of its anal appendages, and the female by the unique shape of its vesicle. Fraser (1936) states that most of the specimens were observed flying quite low over coffee bushes or along the borders of ferny banks.
Idionyx galeata | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with yellow face and bluish green eyes. Its thorax and abdomen are yellow with broad black marks. Its wings are transparent, with fore-wings faintly and hind-wings broadly tinted with yellow in base. Females are similar to males. It breeds in vegetated ponds and wells. Female stabs eggs on dry twigs hanging over water. The eggs hatch out in rains and the larvae fall directly into the water below.
Tetrathemis platyptera | Description and habitat
Segment 8 is dark reddish-brown changing to black on dorsum. Segment 9 is similar but with the lateral spot much larger and brighter yellow. Segment 10 is reddish-brown. Anal appendages are reddish-brown, paler at base. It differs from "Megalogomphus hannyngtoni" by the red medial markings of abdominal segments 3 to 6, by the occiput being yellow instead of black and the face less black, and by the presence of a humeral stripes. This dragonfly perches on twigs, shrubs, and boulders in hill streams. It breeds in fast flowing forested hill streams.
Megalogomphus superbus | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with black-capped pale blue eyes beneath, marked with a black equatorial belt. Its thorax is metallic velvet-black on dorsum. The anterior border of mesepimeron and the lower part of sides are creamy white, separated with a broad stripe in black. The lower part may get pruinosed. Its abdomen is black, pruinosed on the basal segments in adults. Segments 3 to 6 have thin baso-dorsal bluish-white annules. Anal appendages are black. Female is similar to the male; but paler eyes and dull colored thotax. Teneral males look like the female in colour and markings; adult lose almost all their markings due to pruinescence.
Elattoneura tetrica | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with bluish green eyes with a tiny black spot on the top, paler below. Its thorax is bluish green on dorsum, and azure blue on the lower sides. There is a very thin and black mid-dorsal carina, bordered with equally narrow black lines, running close and parallel to it on each side. There is a narrow black humeral stripe and a short black point at the upper part of postero-lateral suture. Winqs are transparent with diamond-shaped pterostigma. Abdomen is azure blue with dorsal black mark up to segment 7. Segments 8 to 10 have only narrow apical black lines.
Pseudagrion decorum | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum, and greenish-yellow on sides. There is a complete yellow meso-thoracic collar and short yellow ante-humeral stripes parallel to the mid-dorsal carina. Abdomen is black, marked with pale greenish-yellow. There is a narrow mid-dorsal stripe extending from segment 1 to 5. There is a large lateral spot on segment 1 and 2 and small baso-lateral spots on 3 to 6. Segment 7 has a ring on its basal third and a dorsal spot on segment 8. Remaining segments are entirely black. Superior anal appendages are black at base, pale green to yellow at the apices.
Heliogomphus promelas | Description and habitat
"Orthetrum coerulescens" can reach a body length of . These dragonflies have a thorax with pale yellow ante-humeral stripes. In the males the color of these stripes fades with age. The abdomen is rather slim and shows an evident dorsal keel. Males have blue-grey eyes and a blue pruinescence on the abdomen, developed with age. Young males are yellow-brown. On the contrary some (androchrome) females at the end of the reproductive cycle assume the bluish color of the male. In the female the abdomen is yellowish-brown, with a thin median black line and small transverse lines to the connections of the various segments.
Keeled skimmer | Description
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with brown-capped grey eyes. Its thorax is dark blue, pruinosed in adults. Wings are transparent with dual color pterostigma, black at centre and dark brown at distal and proximal ends. Base of wings are brown. Abdomen is black, pruinosed with blue, making the brown marks faintly visible. Anal appendages are brown, darker at the apices. Female is similar to the male. This species is similar to "Bradinopyga geminata"; but can be distinguished by the pruinosed body colours, dark wing base and the difference in bi-coloured pterostigma. Taking advantage of its cryptic coloration, it always rests flat on laterite, rock or cement-plastered walls, where it almost invisible.
Bradinopyga konkanensis | Description and habitat
It's a large yellow and black colored dragonfly with bluish-grey eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with yellow or greenish-yellow stripes. Its abdomen is also black with bright yellow marks. There is a leaf like expansion in both sides of segment 8. This species usually perches on a bare twig facing the water, commonly found in ponds, tanks and rivers. It breeds in running and still water.
Ictinogomphus rapax | Description and habitat
The adults have metallic bodies; their wings are broader, with wider bases than other damselflies, and at rest hold their wings parallel to the body, slightly elevated. Some species have conspicuously colored wings; in males, the wings are usually blue, without pterostigmas, in females green or brown. Species are often quite variable in color and patterning, and they are sexually dimorphic. Color intensity may fade with age. The wings are heavily veined, having often 18 or more antenodal veins. The first segment of their antennae is longer than the combined length of the other segments. They have a jerky, skipping form of flight (fluttering, rather than hovering stably like many other damselfly and dragonfly families).
Calopterygidae | Characteristics
The adult male abdomen measures 21–24 mm and hind wing 24–27 mm. Female abdomen measures 23 mm and hind wing 26–30 mm. The male is a medium-sized scarlet dragonfly with a broad reddish amber patch on the base of transparent wings. The female is similar to the male, but duller in color. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical streams and rivers. It breeds in marshes, ponds, and lakes, and prefers to perch on exposed rocks, dry areas, and boulders in riverbeds.
Trithemis kirbyi | Description and ecology
It is a large dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with bright yellow. Sides are greenish-yellow traversed by two closely parallel black stripes. Abdomen is black, marked with bright yellow. Segment 1 has a broad stripe on dorsum and a large quadrate spot on each side. Segment 2 has an L-shaped spot on each side. Segment 3 has a baso-lateral triangular spot, a latero-ventral stripe tapering from the basal end and a narrow mid-dorsal stripe. Segments 4 to 6 have similar markings, but the lateral stripe is absent and the mid-dorsal stripe is well separated from the basal yellow.
Merogomphus longistigma | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with brown-capped grey eyes. Its thorax is cinereous, marbled and peppered with black in a very irregular manner. Wings are transparent with dual color pterostigma, black at centre and pure white at distal and proximal ends. Abdomen is coloured very similarly to thorax; black marbled with yellow, but with a more definite plan. Segments 3 to 8 have pale basal annules interrupted on dorsum, and formed by two elongate parallel spots. There is a triangular apical sub-dorsal spot and a pale mid-dorsal spot. Anal appendages are creamy-white. Female is similar to the male. Taking advantage of its cryptic coloration, it always rests flat on slab rock or cement-plastered walls, where it almost invisible.
Bradinopyga geminata | Description and habitat
It is a small damselfly with black capped greenish eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum and blue on lateral sides, turns into pruinose white in adults. Its abdomen is very slender and marked with black and pruinose blue. In sub-adults and juvenile males, these blue parts are in ground-red colors. Its anal appendages are long, narrow, and curved downward when seen from the sides. They are in ground color in young, and turn into blue when gets age. Female is similar in markings; but more robust and greenish yellow or reddish as in young males. The species breeds in marshes and ponds, and is usually found in riparian zones of streams and among emergent vegetation in shallow streams.
Agriocnemis splendidissima | Description and habitat
Members of this genus are medium-sized dragonflies with dark bodies and a metallic green lustre. The eyes are brilliant green, and many species have dull to bright yellow markings on the thorax and/or abdomen. The abdomens of males are distinctive, with the first two segments bulbous-shaped, the third constricted, and the rest of the abdomen club-shaped with a straight ending. Females have abdomens with straighter sides. Identifying these dragonflies to species can be difficult. The cerci of males, on the tip of the abdomen, are distinctively shaped in each species, as are the subgenital plates on female abdomens. In some species, the subgenital plate is large and projecting, and is used as a "pseudo-ovipositor" for inserting eggs into a substrate.
Somatochlora | Description
The species name "bicolor" obviously refers to this dragonfly's two vivid colours, blue and red, observed by in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in 1968.
Notolibellula bicolor | Etymology
It is a big dragonfly with blue eyes, pale green thorax and dark brown abdomen with bright yellowish-red markings on the sides. Its wings are transparent; but there are brown patches on the inner half of the hind-wings. Segment 1 and sides of segment 2 of the abdomen are pale green. The dorsum of segment 2 is blue with a narrow and broken transverse carina in the midst of the segment in addition to the broad terminal carinae. The dorsal side of segment 3 is blue with a black longitudinal mid-dorsal black line and sides are silvery white. The remaining segments are dark brown with yellowish-red dots on the sides.
Anax indicus | Description and habitat
"Lestes congener" can reach a length of in males, while females are smaller, reaching a length of . In the western part of their range, these dragonflies are somewhat larger than in the eastern part. The thorax is slaty gray dorsally, with two dark elongated spots (hence the common name) on the latero-ventral surface. The eyes are blue in males, while in the females they are always brown. The abdomen is greyish to blackish with bronze reflections, the last two segments of the abdomen are pale gray. The wings are clear and transparent. Like other damselflies of the family Lestidae they hold their wings at about 45 degrees to the body when resting.
Lestes congener | Description
It is a medium sized damselfly with brown eyes. Its thorax is brown on dorsum and paler on lateral sides. Wings are transparent with bi-colored pterostigma, blackish-brown at centre and yellow along the sides. Its abdomen is brown with black apical annules up to segment 6. Segment 7 and 8 are dark brown. Segment 9, 10 and anal appendages are pale; bluish when aged. The pale colors on the thorax and abdomen are also get bluish due to pruinescence when aged. Female is similar to the male. Its dull colours may render it very inconspicuous, so that it can be easily overlooked.
Lestes nodalis | Description and habitat
It is a large reddish-brown dragonfly with golden-amber tinted wings. Eyes are reddish-brown above, yellowish below. Its thorax is ohvaceous suffused with golden reddish-brown, Its base of hind-wings have a moderately broad dark reddish-brown mark. Abdomen is olivaceous, changing to ochreous towards anal end, marked with black. Segments 4 to 9 have apical and basal dorsal black wedge-shaped spots. It breeds in weedy ponds and lakes. The male is often seen patrolling over water, and rarely perches. When perched, they prefer to hang vertically on twigs inside dense shrubbery.
Hydrobasileus croceus | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with dark face and bluish eyes. Its thorax is also black with a broad apple green stripe on both sides. Segments 1-2 and 8-10 in the abdomen are black and the remaining segments are pruinosed with azure blue. It is usually found in marshes associated with hill streams where it breeds.
Orthetrum triangulare | Description and habitat
For example, in "Coenagrion", the Eurasian bluets, the males are bright blue with black markings, while the females are usually predominantly green or brown with black. A few dimorphic species show female-limited polymorphism, the females being in two forms, one form distinct and the other with the patterning as in males. The ones that look like males, andromorphs, are usually under a third of the female population but the proportion can rise significantly and a theory that explains this response suggests that it helps overcome harassment by males. Some Coenagrionid damselflies show male-limited polymorphism, an even less understood phenomenon. In general, damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, the smallest being members of the genus "Agriocnemis" (wisps).
Damselfly | General description
It is a large dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax is black, marked with bright yellow. Sides are greenish-yellow traversed by two closely parallel black stripes. Abdomen is black, marked with bright yellow. Fraser described this dragonfly as a race or subspecies of "Merogomphus longistigma" in 1931. He differentiated it from "M. longistigma longistigma" by the colour of the occiput and abdominal markings, as well as by its smaller size. The occiput entirely black here whereas greenish yellow in "M. longistigrna longistigma". The mid-dorsal spot on segment 3 is isolated, and entirely absent on segments 4 to 6. There is a narrow mid-dorsal stripe in segment 3 to 6 in "M.
Merogomphus tamaracherriensis | Description and habitat
"Orthetrum testaceum" can reach a body length of about , with an hindwing of (in males). In these large dragonflies the thorax of adult males is orange-brown, with a vermilion red abdomen. The eyes are light brownish. The wings are smoky transparent, with an amber patch at the base. In adult females and in recently emerged males body is olive-green to brown in colour with black markings and a clear base of the hindwings. These dragonflies are rather similar to "Orthetrum chrysis", but "O. testaceum" is much reddish, whilew "O. chrysis" has a reddish brown thorax.
Orthetrum testaceum | Description
It is a small dragonfly with eyes dark brown above, violaceous below. Its prothorax, thorax, abdomen, and legs are entirely black in full adults; but in sub-adults, some yellow marks on sides of thorax and yellow spots on segments 4 to 8 in abdomen. This species is found on open waste lands and freshwater habitats.
Diplacodes lefebvrii | Description and habitat
When they first emerge, both sexes appear pale green with brown markings. The legs are brown with a yellow like base. Wings are born black but grow yellow-brown with age. Males have a sky blue abdomen marked with a diagnostic black dorsal stripe and an apple green thorax. The thorax and head of a male is green and their prominent eyes are blue. Females have similar markings but they are mainly green.
Emperor (dragonfly) | Identification
The wings vary in size, shape, width and coloration. The clear uncoloured apices of wings will help to distinguish it from other red Asian dragonflies.
Neurothemis fulvia | Description
It is a medium-sized rusty dragonfly with transparent wing tips. Male has a reddish-brown face with eyes which are dark reddish brown above, golden brown below. Thorax, abdomen and legs are reddish brown. Wings are dark reddish brown with an irregular triangular transparent area at the tip of the wing. The wing spots are dark reddish brown. Many forms of females are found. Color of head, thorax and abdomen paler than males or rusty brown. Wings are clear amber yellow with a dark ray extending to the tip in fore wing. Many of them have an irregular triangular transparent area at the tip of the wing.
Neurothemis fulvia | Description
It is a small dragonfly with emerald-green eyes. Its thorax is brilliant metallic green with a narrow medial oblique stripe on each side. The posterior half of the metepimeron is yellow. Beneath the side is striped black and yellow. Abdomen is black. The first and second segments marked narrowly along the ventral borders with citron-yellow. Segments 7 to 10 are bordered with bright yellow. Segment 10 strongly keeled but without a dorsal spine. Anal appendages are black. Fraser (1936) states that the species occurs of altitudes of 3,000 ft and more. Nothing else is known about the habitat or ecology of this species.
Idionyx saffronata | Description and habitat
The adults of "Onychogomphus uncatus"grow up to long. The eyes are widely separated and bright-blue or gray-blue eyes, never green. The front black line on the side of the thorax does not touch the midline. The yellow collar at the front of the thorax is interrupted by a black bar. It has four cells on the anal triangle of the rear wing, but no yellow line on the 'vertex'. Cercoids are always yellow. This dragonfly is bigger and rarer than the small pincertail ("Onychogomphus forcipatus"), but they are rather similar. The two species can be distinguished on the basis of the shape and extension of the black markings, especially on the thorax and on the last abdominal segments.
Onychogomphus uncatus | Description
It is a small damselfly with black capped green eyes, black thorax with apple green stripes on lateral sides. Segments 1 to 7 of its abdomen is black on dorsum and pale green on ventral half. The remaining segments are orange-red. Very old males may get pruinosed on the dorsum of the head and the thorax with snowy white, making all the markings beneath being quite obscured. Female is more robust and exhibits several color morphs. The green color of the male is replaced by red in the females in the red forms. In androchrome forms, the female has same green colors as in the male.
Agriocnemis pygmaea | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with brown-capped grey eyes and blood red tail. Its thorax is copper brown with a pair of narrow parallel yellow stripes on dorsal side and yellow with stripes on the sides. Segments 1 and 2 of the abdomen have broad lateral stripes and a fine mid-dorsal stripe. Segments 3 to 8 are bright crimson-red with apical sutures narrowly black. Segments 9 and 10 are black. Anal appendages are black. The abdomen of the female is brown. It breeds in marshes associated with ponds and streams.
Lathrecista asiatica | Description and habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Unlike other dragonflies and damselflies this species breeds in water collected inside the tree holes of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. Physicochemical parameters of water collected from the tree holes show that the water is generally acidic with high levels of total dissolved solids, phosphates, sulphates and nitrates. The pH varied from extremely acidic to (pH 3.56) to near neutral (pH 6.48). A diverse community of invertebrates and vertebrates coexist with "L. tricolor" larvae. It is not known how the different taxa interact in the community.
Lyriothemis tricolor | Habitat
"Diplacodes bipunctata" is a small to medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of about 55 millimeters. The wings are colorless except for a yellowish spot at the base of the hindwing. The male has a bright orange or red abdomen with dark markings along the dorsal line and sides, and the female is yellowish with similar markings. There are two dark spots at the side of the synthorax, one of which is the metastigma.
Diplacodes bipunctata | Description
It is medium size damselfly with black-capped brown eyes. Its hindwings are about 19–20 mm and the abdomen about 30 mm. The male of this damselfly is mostly black with red and yellow stripes on its thorax and small yellow spots on the abdomen. The pterostigma or the wing spot is diamond-shaped and is dark brown in colour. Abdomen is black with segments 3 to 6 have small base-dorsal yellow spots. Remaining segments are unmarked. The female is similarly marked to the male; but the thoracic stripes are paler and more yellowish. They are commonly found along the banks of large ponds and rivers, usually sitting among emergent water plants.
Prodasineura verticalis | Description and habitat
It is a small dull colored damselfly with apple green eyes. Its prothorax and thorax are in yellowish green color, paler at the sides. There is a broad black stripe on the dorsum of the thorax, straight on the inner border, outwardly expanded at the upper, middle and at the lower end, as in "Lestes praemorsus". There are a large number of black spots on the thorax. Its wings are transparent with short and broad pterostigma having white or creamy yellow inner and outer ends. Its abdomen is in olivaceous to warm reddish brown in color with black apical rings on each segments.
Platylestes kirani | Description and habitat
It is a small black dragonfly with yellow markings. Its eyes and thorax are black. Abdomen is also black, marked with yellow spots, obscured with bluish pruinescence in full adults. Bases of wings are dark. Apices of the wings are narrowly black; but transparent in "I. l. sita". Anal appendages are dark. Female has brown eyes and yellow thorax, marked with black. The bases of wings are in amber-yellow. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow spots up to segment 8. Anal appendages are dark. It breeds in weeded ponds and lakes.
Indothemis limbata | Description and habitat
It is a small dragonfly with brown capped greenish eyes. Its thorax is greenish yellow and hind-wings usually tinted with yellow from the base. Pterostigma is black in adults bi-colored in juveniles and sub-adults as in females. Its abdomen is pruinosed with light blue, leaving segments 1-3 as yellow. Sub-adult males and females are yellow. The pterostigma of the female are bi-colored with half black and half yellow. It breeds in marshy areas and small pools in the hills.
Palpopleura sexmaculata | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with brown-capped yellow eyes. Its thorax is khaki brown, paling to creamy white on the sides. The dorsum of the thorax has two very narrow metallic green stripes, running closely parallel to the mid-dorsal carina. Wings are transparent with pale brown pterostigma. Abdomen is yellowish brown on the sides with metallic-green dorsal stripes up to segment 8. Segment 9 has a dark dorsal mark on basal half. The remaining half of segment 9, segment 10 and the anal appendages are pale yellow. Female is similar to the male. It can be easily distinguished from all others species of this genus by its uniform pale brown color and the pair of dorsal thoracic metallic green stripes of uniform width.
Lestes viridulus | Description and habitat
The adults of "Onychogomphus forcipatus" grow up to long, with a wingspan of . The eyes of these medium sized dragonflies are widely separated and grey-to-green. The two black lines on the side of the thorax are relatively narrow and touch the midline. It has a yellow line on the vertex and two cells above the anal triangle. The abdomen in males is fitted with three hooks of large size (anal appendages). Cercoids may be dark and have a subterminal tooth. The base of the hindwing is angled in males and rounded in females. This species is rather similar to "Onychogomphus uncatus".
Onychogomphus forcipatus | Description
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with black thorax, marked with yellow. Its wings have a saffron tint, golden yellow at the bases. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow. Segment 1 has a triangular dorsal spot and a large spot on each side. Segment 2 has a mid-dorsal stripe and two spots on each side. Segments 3 to 6 have a pair of sub-dorsal basal spots. Segment 7 is with the basal half yellow with a black dorsal carina and a basal black ring. Segment 8 has a sub-basal spot on each side. Segment 9 has a similar but much smaller spot.
Acrogomphus fraseri | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax black, marked with greenish-yellow. There is a mesothoracic collar and an oblique ante-humeral stripe. Sides are greenish-yellow with a broad median black stripe on each side. Abdomen is black, marked with greenish-yellow. Segment 1 has an apical triangular spot, and an apical lateral spot. Segment 2 has two large yellow lateral spots. Segment 3 has a large basal spot. Segments 4 to 6 have smaller spots. Segment 7 has its basal half yellow. Segment 8 has only a basal spot on the sides. Segments 9 and 10 are unmarked. Anal appendages are black.
Melligomphus acinaces | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with black thorax, marked with greenish-yellow. There is a sinuous dorsal stripe which is formed by the union of an ante-humeral with a humeral stripe. Sides of the thorax are yellow, marked with a narrow, black stripe on the postero-lateral suture and on the lower half of the anterior suture. Wings are transparent, slightly tinted with saffron at bases. Abdomen is black, marked with yellow. Segment 1 has a triangular mark on dorsum at apex and a broad baso-lateral spot. Segment 2 has a dorsal stripe and a very broad spot on sides. Segment 3 to 8 have narrow basal rings.
Burmagomphus pyramidalis | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized dragonfly with brown-capped greenish-yellow eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum, yellow on sides. There is a thick black oblique stripe on the posterior half of mesepimeron and postero-lateral suture. Wings are transparent, tinted with amber-yellow at base. Abdomen is blood-red, marked with black. Segment 1 is narrowly bordered with ochreous yellow. Segments 2 and 3 are ochreous laterally. All segments have very narrow black borders. Segments 3 to 9 has a narrow mid-dorsal black stripe, faded in adults. Segment 10 is entirely black. Anal appendages are dark reddish-brown. Female is similar to the male; but its thorax is coppery-brown and segments 3 to 8 with mid-dorsal carina rather broadly black.
Lyriothemis tricolor | Description
"Crocothemis erythraea" can reach a length of . These dragonflies haves a flattened and rather broad abdomen. The adult male scarlet dragonfly has a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings. Also the veins on the leading edges of the wings are red. Females and immatures are yellow-brown and have a conspicuous pale stripe along the top of the thorax.
Scarlet dragonfly | Description
Males of the banded darter, like most members of the genus, have a red abdomen. The species' primary distinguishing feature however is the presence, in both sexes, of broad black bands across the outer section of each wing. It is similar in size to the black darter ("Sympetrum danae") (35-40mm), sharing the broad hindwings and black legs.
Banded darter (dragonfly) | Description
It is a medium sized dragonfly with bottle-green eyes. Its thorax black, marked with greenish-yellow. There is a mesothoracic collar and an oblique antehumeral stripe, generally connected with the mesothoracic collar. Even if they are separated, the lower end of the stripe is squared; not pointed as in "Melligomphus acinaces". Humeral stripe is absent. Laterally there are two broad yellow stripes separated by a broad black stripe, with a yellow spot at its upper part. Abdomen is black, marked with bright citron-yellow. Segment 1 has a triangular apical spot on the dorsum and a large apico-lateral spot. Segment 2 has a dorsal longitudinal stripe, broader at the center.
Lamelligomphus nilgiriensis | Description and habitat
"Azuragrion granti" is, typically for narrow-winged dragonflies, a largely blue damselfly with black markings on top of the head, black stripes along the thorax and on the upper part of the abdomen which is paler underneath. It has narrow, transparent wings it holds vertically over their body when it is at rest.
Azuragrion granti | Description
Segments 4 to 6 are with a pair of bright yellowish-red spots. On 7-8 these spots combine to form a continuous yellow band. Segments 9 to 10 are with a pair of large yellowish-red spots. Anal appendages are dark brown; the superiors have a triangular projection at the middle of their inner margin. This dragonfly looks similar to "Anax guttatus"; but can be identifiable by contiguous yellow spots on the posterior abdomen segments (7-8). They are not connected in "Anax guttatus". Females is similar to the male. But the blue on the dorsum of segment 2 will be broken up into four by a narrow brown mid-dorsal carina and a transverse line lying midway to form a cross like mark.
Anax indicus | Description and habitat
It is a medium-sized damselfly with the male have an abdomen length 32 to 35 mm compared to the similar looking species, "Lestes dorothea" having an abdomen length 36–40 mm. Its head is black and matured males have deep sapphire-blue eyes as in "L. dorothea". Its thorax is black, pruinosed white laterally, yellowish beneath. The dorsum of the thorax is marked with a pair of metallic green antehumeral stripes shaped like those seen in "L. dorothea". There are several irregular spots present on both sides. The thorax of matured males are heavily pruinosed, obscuring all these markings. Abdomen is blue marked with black on dorsum.
Lestes praemorsus | Description and habitat
It is a small, slim, slender damselfly with violet and black colors. Its thorax is black with lateral violet stripes. Segments 2 to 7 of the abdomen are black on dorsum and violet in the ventral half. Segments 8 and 9 are violet without any marks. Segment 10 is black on dorsum. The lower half of segment 8 is marked with black in "A. a. krishna". Female is similar to the male; but paler in colors. Segments 8 and 9 are black and 10 is blue on dorsum. It breeds in ponds, lakes or in slow moving streams.
Aciagrion approximans | Description and habitat
It is a medium sized damselfly with brick-red eyes, with two horizontal dark-red equatorial lines. Its thorax is bright brick-red on dorsum, paler on the sides. There is black and narrow mid-dorsal carina; a ante-humeral stripe; and a more or less broken but broad humeral-stripe. There is another broader irregular stripe on the mesepimeron, often broken up into two or more spots. There is a short stripe on the antero-lateral suture and a narrow stripe on the postero-lateral suture. The base of the lateral side is pale yellowish-red. Its wings are transparent; but the fore-wings have a broad blackish-brown fascia, which extends from the node to the pterostigma.
Disparoneura quadrimaculata | Description and habitat
It is a large brown dragonfly with blue eyes. Its thorax is reddish-brown, with two broad greenish-yellow stripes on each side. Wings are transparent with pterostigma, reddish-brown. Abdomen is reddish-brown, marked with azure-blue, white, and yellow. Segment 1 has a large pale yellow spot on each side. Segment 2 has white marks on the sides and azure-blue on the dorsum with a broad spot of reddish-brown on mid-dorsum. Segment 3 to 7 are brown on dorsum with black apical annules. Segments 8 to 10 are darker on dorsum with a pair of dorsal apical spots. Anal appendages are dark reddish-brown.
Anaciaeschna jaspidea | Description and habitat
It is a black dragonfly with a pale yellow mid-dorsal carina of thorax. Wings are hyaline for apical half and opaque steely blue-black for basal half which is bordered by a milky white patch towards the tip. Females differ remarkably from the males both in body-colouring and markings and in marking of the wings. Its body is greenish yellow with a bright yellow mid-dorsal carina of thorax. Base of wings are amber yellow followed by a blackish brown patch. Apices of all wings are broadly opaque blackish brown and the reaming halves are pale yellow. It breeds in marshes, well vegetated ponds, lakes and rice fields.
Neurothemis tullia | Description and habitat
Hori Bakusui (1718–1783) similarly wrote "Dyed he is with the / Colour of autumnal days, / O red dragonfly." The poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson described a dragonfly splitting its old skin and emerging shining metallic blue like "sapphire mail" in his 1842 poem "The Two Voices", with the lines "An inner impulse rent the veil / Of his old husk: from head to tail / Came out clear plates of sapphire mail."
Insects in literature | Harmony with nature
Over 60% of Japan's wetlands were lost in the 20th century, so its dragonflies now depend largely on rice fields, ponds, and creeks. Dragonflies feed on pest insects in rice, acting as a natural pest control. Dragonflies are steadily declining in Africa, and represent a conservation priority.
Dragonfly | Conservation
The male and female have a broad, flattened abdomen which is brown with yellow patches down the sides. In the male the abdomen develops a blue pruinosity that covers the brown colour. Both fore and hind wings have a dark patch at the base. Both the male and female have broad antehumeral stripes. The average wingspan is approximately 70 mm. "L. depressa" is very distinctive and should not be confused with any other dragonflies in the region.
Libellula depressa | Identification
It is a medium-sized damselfly with brown-capped yellowish green eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum without any or very fine azure blue antehumeral stripes, which are very broad in "Paracercion malayanum". Lateral sides of thorax are greenish blue with a fine black line on the upper part of each lateral suture. In old males, all these marks are obscured by bluish white pruinescence. Its wings are transparent and pterostigma is yellow, framed with heavy black nervures. Its abdomen is azure blue with broad black dorsal marks up to segment 7. Segment 2 has a distinct broad dorsal spot connected narrowly to a fine apical ring.
Paracercion calamorum | Description and habitat
It is a moderately sized dragonfly with bluish-green eyes and dark brown thorax, marked with yellow stripes on the sides. Its abdomen is dark reddish-brown with yellow annules on segment 1 to 9. The species breeds in weedy tanks and ponds. Adults can be found far away from breeding habitats. It soars tirelessly during daytime high up, occasionally in small swarms.
Epophthalmia vittata | Description and habitat
Nymphs of the eastern pondhawk are identifiable by their green eyes. When they leave the water and moult for the final time, the emerging immature adult is dull olive green but over the course of a few hours, the abdomen becomes bright green, there is dark brown banding and the heads take on a metallic green sheen. Over the course of their adult lives the green of the male is gradually transformed into a duller shade of blue and finally a powdery bluish-grey. The wings are distinctively veined and have dark margins near the apices. The length of this dragonfly is .
Erythemis simplicicollis | Description
It is a large dragonfly with bluish-green eyes. Its thorax is dark reddish-brown with a dark green metallic reflex, marked with yellow. There is a narrow antehumeral stripe, and an oblique narrow stripe on each side; the two stripes meeting over the dorsum between the wings. Abdomen is black, changing to dark reddish-brown at the terminal segments, ringed with bright ochreous yellow. The base of segment 1 is yellow. Segment 2 has a narrow ring as in "Epophthalmia vittata". Segment 3 has a complete broad ring occupying the apical two-thirds of the segment. Segments 4 to 7 have a broad basal ring.
Epophthalmia frontalis | Description
"Diplacodes nebulosa" is a very small and slender dragonfly. Males have a black abdomen and black wing tips; females are yellow and black, and their wings can be hyaline, or with an orange base, or, like the male, have black tips. It prefers marshes and heavily weeded ponds.
Diplacodes nebulosa | Description and habitat
Male: Key features for identification of the males are the shape of the cerci (appendages at the end of the abdomen of males) and the pattern of the markings on the thorax. The ends of the cerci diverge, and they are thick and truncate. In southern Africa (south of 15°S), the shape of the cerci separate this species from other dragonflies.
Paragomphus cognatus | Identification
It is a large, bluish green dragonfly with sapphire-blue eyes, bluish-green thorax, and pale reddish-brown abdomen marked with black. Its thorax is pale bluish-green on dorsum with a blackish-brown mid-dorsal carina and turquoise-blue laterally. There is a narrow black stripe over humeral suture and a very broad one over the postero-lateral suture with a narrow black posterior border on metepimeron. Wings are transparent with amber-yellow tint. Segment 1 of the abdomen is entirely black. Segment 2 is turquoise-blue, with a mid-dorsal transverse mark shaped like a sea-gull in flight. Segment 3 has its basal half turquoise-blue and apical half black, with a small mid-dorsal spot on blue.
Anax immaculifrons | Description and habitat