| Acisoma panorpoides (Rambur, 1842),
the Grizzled Pintail, is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae.
It is found in Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad,
Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea,
India, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly
Burundi, possibly Kenya, and possibly Tanzania. Its natural habitats are
subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna,
subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland,
rivers, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater
lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent
freshwater marches, and freshwater spring.
This dragonfly is easily recognised
by its uniquely shaped abdomen, which tapers markedly from segments five
to seven to form a narrow tip. The male is quite stunning, with its bright
blue eyes, and blue and black markings to the thorax and abdomen. It almost
has a marble effect. The female is similarly shaped and patterned, but
with greenish yellow body. In males, the hindwing is 20 to 22 mm in length
and the total body leangth ranges from 27 to 29 mm. The young male is yellow,
as the female.
Acisoma panorpoides is widespread
in Africa (except dense rain forest), southern Europe, Middle East, southern
Asia, and Indian Ocean Islands. It is listed by IUCN Red List as Least
Concern in view of its wide distribution, and because it is unlikely to
be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a threatened category.
References:
http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/dna/organisms/details/676
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acisoma_panorpoides
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/59785/0
http://thaiodonata.blogspot.com/2011/03/106-acisoma-panorpoides-panorpoides.html
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