Orthetrum caledonicum
| Blue skimmer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Top view of an adult male in Victoria Park, Sydney. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Hexapoda |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Anisoptera |
| Family: | Libellulidae |
| Genus: | Orthetrum |
| Species: | O. caledonicum |
| Binomial name | |
| Orthetrum caledonicum (Brauer, 1865) | |
Orthetrum caledonicum, the blue skimmer, is a common Australian dragonfly.
Males have a powder blue thorax and abdomen pruinescent blue when mature. The females are brownish grey in colour while the teneral are yellow with black markings. They are medium in size, with a body length of 4.5 cm (2 in) and a wingspan of 7 cm (3 in).
The species is widespread throughout mainland Australia and extending to Tasmania. It is also found in New Guinea, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands and Lesser Sunda Islands. It inhabits a range of still and flowing water habitats including temporary waters.[1]
Gallery
Adult in Margaret River, Western Australia
Male blue skimmer side aspect, hind wing damage
Mature female
References
External links
Media related to Orthetrum caledonicum at Wikimedia Commons
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 4/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.