| Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839),
the Crimson Marsh Glider, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
This dragonfly is small but beautiful. In males, the hindwing is 25 to
27 mm long and the total body length ranges from 32 to 35 mm. The eyes
of the male are red and the thorax and abdomen are almost luminous pink.
The base of the hindiwng is tinted amber brown and the wing veins are red.
The female is light brown with black markings on the sides of the abdomen.
Immature males are like the female but lack the black markings on the sides
of the abdomen. Also, when viewed from above, the abdomen of immature male
is broader (dorso-ventrally flattened) whereas that of the female is straight-sided
and narrower.
It is a medium sized dragonfly that
is commonly found in weedy tanks and ponds, marshes, channels, and slow
flowing streams and rivers in the lowlands and mid-hills. It breeds in
streams, rivers, canals, ponds and tanks. It is found commonly and widely
distributed in the Oriental region throughout the year. The male of the
species is distinctly different from the female.
The male has a reddish brown face,
with eyes that are crimson above and brown on the sides. The thorax is
red with a fine, purple pruinescence. The abdomen, the base of which is
swollen, is crimson with a violet tinge. The wings are transparent with
crimson venation and the base has a broad amber patch. The wing spots are
a dark reddish-brown and the legs are black.
The female has an olivaceous or bright
reddish-brown face with eyes that are purplish-brown above and grey below.
The thorax is olivaceous with brown median and black lateral stripes. The
abdomen is reddish-brown with median and lateral black markings. The black
markings are confluent at the end of each segment and enclose a reddish-brown
spot. The wings are transparent with brown tips. The venation is bright
yellow to brown and basal amber markings are pale. The wing spots are a
dark brown and the lags are dark grey with narrow yellow stripes.
IUCN Red List Category & Criteria
as Least Concern. The species is found throughout the Indian subcontinant
and south east Asia, extending to Japan and south to Java and the Lesser
Sunda Islands. This widespread and common species is abundant throughout
its range and is not threatened; assessed as Least Concern.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Marsh_Glider
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/167395/0
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