Orthetrum chrysostigma
| Orthetrum chrysostigma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Orthetrum |
| Species: | O. chrysostigma |
| Binomial name | |
| Orthetrum chrysostigma (Burmeister, 1839) | |
The Epaulet Skimmer, Orthetrum chrysostigma, is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi as well as Canary Islands.It was recently recorded in the Maltese Islands in 2010
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and freshwater springs. The adults prey on various fliying insects, with the bodies of the males being vivid blue and those of the females a bright green color.
References
- Clausnitzer, V. 2005. Orthetrum chrysostigma. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 August 2007.
GAUCI, C. & SCIBERRAS, A. (2010) First Records of Orthetrum chrysostigma (Odonata:Libellulidae) Burmeister, 1839 in the Maltese Islands. Central Mediterranean Naturalist 5(2):78-80. Nature Trust Malta publications.