| Black-tailed skimmer | |
|---|---|
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| Male | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Infraorder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Orthetrum |
| Species: | O. cancellatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Orthetrum cancellatum | |
The black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae. [2]
This species is widespread in Europe and Asia. [3] It is found throughout European continent including the Mediterranean islands but is absent in the north of Britain and the northern half of Fennoscandia. [1] This is one of the most common European species and it is still increasing its range northwards. To the east, the range extends over central Asia to Kashmir, Mongolia to the northern parts of China and Arunachal Pradesh in India.
It is present in Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (Corsica, and mainland), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey (Turkey-in-Europe), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and in part of United Kingdom. [1]
The black-tailed skimmer is abundant throughout its range and is one of the most commonly seen dragonflies in Europe. It holds a stable population and has no known major threats. [4]
This species has expanded its range, assisted by the creation of gravel pits which give it the extensive open unvegetated areas it prefers. It was first recorded in Great Britain in Essex in 1934. It is decreasing rapidly in the Maltese Islands.
This dragonfly is found at any open water with bare patches along the shore where the patrolling males frequently rest in the sun. It also inhabits near slow-flowing waters. It favors lakes, slow rivers, ponds and sometimes marshy area, without dense riparian vegetation. [5] Females are less bold and not encountered as regularly. Adults prefer to perch on bare ground and rocks.
It is a fairly large dragonfly (the length of 47–53 mm, 29–35 mm abdomen, rear wing 35–41 mm.) with relatively broad, flattened abdomen, but not as broad as to chaser species. With age, adult males develop extensive blue pruinescence on their abdomen, offset by yellow lateral patches. The middle lobe of the pronotum is large and notched in the middle. The chest is yellow or yellowish-brown. The base of the hind wings do not show a dark opaque spots. The pterostigma is dark brown or black. On the front wings pterostigma 2–3 mm long. Anal appendages are black. The females and immature males are a deep yellow color, with wavy black lines dorsally on their abdomen. Males and females have the costal vein (the leading edge of the wing) yellow or black. [6]
The species is similar to its much more localized congener the Orthetrum albistylum , but readily identifiable in the field. The males develop a blue pruinescence on the abdomen darkening to the rear with S8-10 becoming black. Its eyes are very dark green. They fly swift and low, skimming the water surface. Females retain their color and markings though they become quite grayish brown with age. This species could be confused with Keeled skimmer or Scarce chaser.
♂: Adult males have a bluish or blue-gray patina on the body, gradually darkening with age. They have a blue abdomen with a black tip and transparent wings. The young have a grid pattern on a yellow-brownish abdomen.
♀: Adult females have a yellow-brownish abdomen with a lattice pattern (wide longitudinal dark brown stripes and bright crescent-shaped spots) and transparent wings. 10 tergite of abdomen is black. Even the abdomen of the immature males looks that way.
Adults can reach a length of about 47–53 mm. Average wingspan is about 77 mm, while hindwings are 35–40 mm long. The eyes are dorsally narrowly apposed to dorsally broadly contiguous. They are brown (in the female), or blue (in the male). Legs are black and brown (the femoral bases brown). Thoracic antehumeral stripes are absent. The wings spread more or less horizontally in repose. They are dissimilar in shape and venation, sessile, unpatterned and clear. The inner wing venation is blackish. Discoidal cell is divided longitudinally into a conspicuous triangle and supra-triangle. There are antenodal veins in the forewings 10–13 (fewer in the hindwings). [7] Pterostigma is well over twice but no more than five times as long as wide. Abdomen is lanceolate and 30–35 mm long; predominantly blue (in the male), or brown (in the female), or grey (sometimes, in old females). It is rather plain (in the male, but often with orange lateral markings, and darkened over the terminal segments), or predominantly longitudinally lined (the female with a dark medio-lateral band on either side along each segment); without mid-dorsal spots. [8] The male abdomen is without auricles on segment 2; with a single inferior anal appendage.
The nymphs are stout, body is expanded in the middle. When mature, they are 23–25.5 mm long. The postocular lobes is curving sharply to the back of the head from some distance behind the eyes. The antennae is 7 segmented. [9] The mask have the prementum hollowed dorsally. The prementum bears three (rarely two or four) long setae inserted near each lateral margin, and two medial fields of seven to eight short spiniform setae, the latter flanked by four setae of medium length. The body of the labial palps bears 6 or 7 major setae. Distal margins of the labial palps are weakly crenate. Legs are longer than the abdomen. The abdomen terminates in five short spine-like appendages. The cerci are no more than half the length of the paraprocts. The abdomen has mid-dorsal spines. The mid-dorsal abdominal spines are prominent on segments 3 to 6. The abdomen is without a mid-dorsal spine on segment 8; gizzard with 4–8 folds. [10]
The main flight period is June and July. [11] Males characteristically perch horizontally on exposed surfaces. They fly swift and low, skimming the water surface, while defending their territories. Mating can occur in flight or on land. [12]
Females oviposit alone but with male in attendance. Eggs are laid in flight by dipping abdomen onto water surface. [13] They hatch after five or six weeks and the larvae live partially hidden by bottom debris. They emerge after two or three years. Larvae prefer bottom areas rich in vegetation and decaying plant material. [14]
The common darter is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round.
The keeled skimmer is a species of dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae.
The large red damselfly is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to the western Palearctic.
Orthetrum villosovittatum, known as the fiery skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its range is from the Moluccas, New Guinea and neighbouring islands as well as Australia. In Australia it is found in Victoria through eastern New South Wales and Queensland, north inland Queensland, Cape York Peninsula and north Northern Territory. It is a common species through most of its range.
Orthetrum caledonicum, the blue skimmer, is a common Australian dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides, also known as the Tasmanian spotwing, is a species of dragonfly from southern and north-western Tasmania, Australia. It is the only species in the genus Synthemiopsis and has also been placed in its own tribe, Synthemiopsini. R. J. Tillyard, who first described it, considered it intermediate between the Australian genus Synthemis and the Chilean Gomphomacromia. He had material from swamps around Cradle Mountain, at about 4,000 feet (1,200 m) altitude, and from Flowerdale Creek near Wynyard. Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides flies rapidly over the swamps and often sits on reeds. It occurs together with Synthemis tasmanica, a similar but duller-coloured species.
Orthetrum brunneum, the southern skimmer, is a species of 'skimmers' belonging to the family Libellulidae.
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Lestes elatus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the emerald spreadwing. It is native to India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
Anax indicus is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is found in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.
Indothemis carnatica, the black marsh skimmer, or light-tipped demon, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Palpopleura sexmaculata, commonly known as the Asian widow or blue-tailed yellow skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in several countries in South, East and Southeast Asia, but is no longer believed to occur in Sri Lanka.
Anaciaeschna jaspidea is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, commonly known as the Australasian duskhawker and Rusty darner. It is widely distributed from India through Australia to the Pacific.
Dysphaea ethela, the black torrent dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Euphaeidae. The insect is named after Frederic Charles Fraser's wife, Ethel Grace Fraser (1881-1960), a constant companion of his collecting trips in India.
Lestes nodalis is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings.
Caconeura ramburi is a damselfly species in the family Platycnemididae. It is commonly known as the Coorg Bambootail or Indian blue bambootail. It is endemic to the Western Ghats.
Disparoneura apicalis, black-tipped bambootail is a damselfly species in the family Platycnemididae. It is endemic to Western Ghats. It was described from Kodagu, Karnataka, on the upper reaches of the Kaveri River. It is also found to occur in Kuruvadweep, Wayanad, Kerala, along the banks of Kabini River.
Lestes dorothea, the forest spreadwing, is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae. It is distributed from south and northeast India to Thailand and Malaysia.
Indolestes pulcherrimus is a species of spreadwing in the damselfly family Lestidae. The species was known only from in Kodagu district, Karnataka. Later it is found in forest swamps in Wayanad district, Kerala too.
Platylestes platystylus, the green-eyed spreadwing, is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae. Although this species appears to be widespread, there are very few recent records. This species is known from old records from West Bengal in India, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. There are recent records from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Kerala, South India.
