Ischnura aurora

Golden dartlet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Coenagrionidae
Genus: Ischnura
Species: I. aurora
Binomial name
Ischnura aurora
Brauer, 1865

The golden dartlet (Ischnura aurora), also known as the aurora bluetail[1]is a species of damselfly. There are three described subspecies: Ischnura aurora aurora (Brauer, 1865), Ischnura aurora rubilio (Selys, 1876), Ischnura aurora viduata (Lieftinck, 1949).

Adults

A small apple green damselfly with black thoracic stripes and blue tipped yellow tail.

Male

Eyes: Black half moon like cap above, olive green to dark olive below, which fade to pale olive beneath. Two azure blue spots are present behind the eys. Thorax: Shining black with two pale grass green stripes. Sides are light green and white below. Legs: Pale greenish white with vertical stripe on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Wings: Transparent. Wing spot: The wing spots are different in fore and hindwings. It is rose-red in forewings and uniform pale grey in hindwings. Abdomen: Bright yellow. The second and seventh segments has upper narrow and broad black marks respectively. Segments 8-10 are entirely azure blue. The 10th segment has an upper black spot.

Female

Eyes: Brown half moon like cap above, green to pale green below. Thorax: Shining black with two orange stripes. Sides are pale green. Legs: Pale white with vertical black stripes on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Abdomen: A broad black stripe runs along the upper side of abdomen. Segments 8 - 10 do not have azure blue markings.

Habitat

Found among vegetation along the banks of ponds, rivers, canals and estuaries; found away from water-bodies also.

Distribution

Asian and Australian regions. Also found in remote oceanic islands probably carried by air currents.

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References

  1. ↑ Theischinger, Gunther; Hawking, John (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Collingwood Vic.: CSIRO. p. 96. ISBN 0643090738.

K.A.Subramanian (2005) Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India-A Field Guide. E-Book of Project Lifescape. Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science and Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, India. 118 pages. Copyright K.A.Subramanian, 2005. pp. 81

Rowe, R.J. (2010) Ischnura aurora (Brauer 1865) (Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae), an Australo-Pacific species. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 37: 189-192.

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