LIBELLULIDAE - Percher, Skimmer Dragonflies
The dragonflies in this family are with distinctly broadened abdomen. They are from small to large in size, with body length 20-60 mm and wings span 30-100 mm. Their bodies is distinctively shorter than their wings span. They are usually red, yellow or blue in colour. Some species have wings patterns. The males are often brightly colored and tend to perch in the open on exposed branches, logs, or sandy shorelines.
- Blue Skimmer - a common Skimmer dragonfly in Brisbane
The Percher or Skimmer spend more time at rest than the dragonflies in other families. Most of them perch with the body horizontal with wings outstretched. Some of them holding the abdomen angled upward and some with wings forward and depressed.
- Larval exuviae of Skimmer Dragonflies, length 25mm
The males are territorial and will often return to the same or a nearby spot. This makes taking their photos much easier than the other families. Female usually less colourful than male but with the same wings markings. They prefer pond instead of fast running water. Females oviposit alone or in the company of guarding males, and dip the abdomen in the water for releasing the eggs.
- Stream Watcher
- Nannophlebia risi, Subfamily Tetrathemistinae, body Length 32mm
- This is a small dragonfly found in Bulimba Creek. The dragonfly is black and yellow in colour, slender-bodied, the last few segments of the abdomen swollen like a clubtail dragonfly. Its two eyes are in contact and green in colour like a emerald dragonfly. However, it belong to the family Libellulidae (skimmer).
- Palemouth Shorttail Dragonfly
- Brachydiplax denticauda, Subfamily Brachydiplacinae, body length 35mm
- The dragonfly has the light blue body with black tip. It head is dark metallic colour. It is a small dragonfly. This dragonfly can only be found on ponds and still waters. They fly in a short distance and always return to the same perch. The above pictures was taken in a pond in Wishart in a hot summer afternoon.
- Blue Skimmer Dragonfly, Sky Blue Dragonfly
- Orthetrum caledonicum, Subfamily Libellulinae, male, female, body length 45mm
- This dragonfly is common in Brisbane. They can be found in almost every ponds. The males have grey blue thorax and abdomen, with dark colour on abdomen tip. They fly amount the low vegetation over the pond. They usually return to the same spots after a short flight. Females are greenish-yellow in colour. We took those pictures near the ponds along Bulimba Creek in Brisbane. More information on Blue Skimmer page.
- Bog Skimmer Dragonfly
- Orthetrum villosovittatum, Subfamily Libellulinae, female, male, body length 45mm
- The above pictures show a female, which is bright yellow to yellowish-brown in colour, and a male which is bright red in colour. Their thorax are dark in colour. The wings of females are yellowish-brown. They can be found over still or slow flowing water in Brisbane. More information please visit this page.
- Blue Scarlet
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- Crocothemis nigrifrons, Subfamily Sympetrinae, matured male, young male, body length 45mm
- The male dragonfly has black thorax and blue abdomen, with a black line on the back along the top of abdomen. The males change their colour when they become matured. The matured mates are powdered blue in colour. Before they become matured, they are yellow brown. Which is the same colour as the female. More information please click here.
- Scarlet Percher
- Diplacodes haematodes, Subfamily Sympetrinae, male, female, body length 35mm
- The male Scarlet Percher Dragonflies have the red eyes, red face, red thorax and red abdomen. There are no markings on their abdomen. There are also the reddish suffusions on their wing bases. The females are pale yellow in colour. This dragonfly like to perch on creek stone or sand bed. They can be found near the ponds along Bulimba Creek in Brisbane. There are more information on the Scarlet Percher page.
- Common Percher
- Diplacodes bipunctata, Subfamily Sympetrinae, male, immature male, body length 32mm
- The Common Percher Dragonfly is small in size. The matured male dragonfly has the red eyes, red face, red thorax and red abdomen., with red mark on the wing tips. The immature male has the same colour as female. They are sandy yellow. Both have shiny black markings on the back of abdomen. Notice their abdomen are a bit narrower at the middle. More information on the Common Percher page.
- Common Glider
- Trapezostigma loewii, Subfamily Trameinae, body length 50m
- The dragonfly has the red abdomen with black tip. Its hind wing bases are dark red in colour while the rest of its wings are red. This dragonflies fly, usually glide, high above ground near the creek. Sometimes it rests high on the leafless tree top.
- Striped Flutterer
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- Rhoythemis phyllis, Subfamily Trameinae, body length 40mm
- This dragonfly flies with fluttering in a slow speed, gliding most of the time. Its wings are much longer than its body. This dragonfly is easily recognized. The head and body are dark brown in colour. It wings are clear, with black tips and striped patterns on hind-wings. We found many of them near Oxley Creek in Brisbane. More information click here.
- Banded Flutterer
- Rhyothemls graphiptera, Subfamily Trameinae, body length 33mm
- This dragonfly is very easy to recognize. Its body is shorter than its wingspread. The two pairs of wings are in gold colour with brown pattern. We see a lot of these dragonflies flying around in Macgregor Park.
- Stout Duskdarter Dragonfly
- Zyxomma elgneri, Subfamily Trameinae, male, body length 45mm
- The Stout Duskdarter Dragonfly is dark brown in colour, with dark colour on all wing tips. Their eyes are green in colour. They do no look like skimmers although they are in FAMILY LIBELLULIDAE. Their abdomen is slender and longer than their wings, and they do not perch. More information please click here.
- Water Prince Dragonfly
- Hydrobasileus brevistylus , Subfamily Trameinae, female, body length 50mm, wingspan 100mm
- We saw this Water Prince Dragonflies a few times while they were laying eggs alone on creek and small ponds in mid summer. They are large dragonflies with strong body. Its abdomen is black with yellow spots. More information click on here.
