Tholymis tillarga

Anisoptera

Species name: Tholymis tillarga

Family: Libellulidae

A male resting in the shade during the day photographed 

on Pulau Sapi an island off Kota Kinabalu  

This is another common crepuscular libellulid like the two Zyxomma ssp. (obtusum & petiolatum) and are found in similar habitats, i.e. drains, weedy ponds and other open bodies of water. 

Two males in flight at dusk

It is active at dusk, flying to and fro along drains and across ponds, the males are quite conspicuous for the white wing patches. In flight they are rather frustrating to photograph! 

An immature male showing very faint white wing patch

A female

The body of this medium-sized insect is orange-brown and the hindwing has an amber tinted patch followed by a patch of bluish white in the males while this white patch is absent in the female. Hence its common name - Coral-tailed Cloudwing.

Distribution: widespread in tropical Asia, Africa and Australasia.