Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila

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Rainforest elf
Rainforest Elf 06090317.jpg
Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila, Cairns, Australia
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Tetrathemis
Species:
Subspecies:
T. i. cladophila
Trinomial name
Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila
(Tillyard, 1908) [1]
Tetrathemis irregularis distribution map AU.svg
Synonyms [2]
  • Tetrathemis cladophilaTillyard, 1908

Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila known as the rainforest elf is a subspecies of Tetrathemis irregularis , a dragonfly in the family Libellulidae found only in Australia. [2]

Contents

Description

It is a tiny to small, black and yellow dragonfly with a length of 25-30mm and wingspan of 40-50mm. The mostly clear wings are suffused with pale lemon. The abdomen is black with 3 to 4 yellow markings, and there is a metallic sheen on the synthorax. [3]

Distribution

The genus Tetrathemis extends from Africa and Madagascar to south-east Asia, New Guinea and Australia. Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila has only been recorded coastal and adjacent inland from Cape York Peninsula to Cardwell in Queensland. [4] The taxon has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List, but it appears in the Catalogue of Life. [5]

Habitat

Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila inhabits streams in rainforest.

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References

  1. Tillyard, R.J. (1908). "On some remarkable Australian Libellulinae. Part ii. Descriptions of new species". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 33: 637–649 [647] via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. 1 2 "Australian Faunal Directory" . Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  3. Theischinger, G; Hawking, J (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Collingwood Vic.: CSIRO Publishing. p. 258. ISBN   978 0 64309 073 6.
  4. "Atlas of Living Australia" . Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. "Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila" . Retrieved 9 March 2017.

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