Zyxomma obtusum 2

Anisoptera

Species name: Zyxomma obtusum

Family: Libellulidae  

Mature males of this crepuscular species are entirely covered with white bloom which gives it a ghostly appearence when silently flitting over drains at dusk or early dawn.

 

A male in flight. See another male in flight here

I recently found some larvae living in a cement water tank, no doubt feeding on tadpoles of the four-lined tree frog and other aquatic life in the water.

A final instar nymph.

A nymph that has crawled out of the water and 

ready to emerge.

The newly emerged imago beside its exuvia in the process of drying its wings.

 It is a male (teneral) still lacking its full mature colour. 

Pantala flavescens - Emergence

Anisoptera

Species Name: Pantala flavescens

Family: Libellulidae

Without realizing it two long years had passed since my last post! My first post for the new year 2013 is only my second "emergence" post - of arguably, the most common dragonfly in the world.


In December 2012 I was lucky to find a few nymphs in a water tank and one night literally stumbled on an emergence in progress.

Rhodothemis rufa

Anisoptera

Species Name: Rhodothemis rufa

Family: Libellulidae

For the first time I was able to rear a dragonfly larva up to emergence. However unfortunately although I guessed the day of emergence, I was too late to catch the start of the emergence process.On the morning of the larva's change to adulthood I woke up at 3:15 a.m. but found that it had already fully emerged! I was only able to take photos of it hanging fully extended from the exuvia.

This, after 2 months of guessing and wondering about its species, turned out to be Rhodothemis rufa a common species in Asia - with a range from Bangladesh through India, Indochina, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. My thanks to Dr Rory Dow and Dr Sadayuki Ugai for the sp. identification.

The male however is rather difficult to distinguish from other common and very similar red libellulids. However the female (shown here) is recognized by its brownish colour and the mid-dorsal light yellow streak which run from the top of the antefrons through the thorax down to segment 5 of the abdomen. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of a male.

The larva when I first collected it was a rather long-legged spiderlike creature!

Mature larva (underside)

Mature larva with mosquito larvae which I provided it. It also readily ate small tadpoles.

The newly emerged female with its characteristic mid-dorsal line.