Monday, 13 September 2021
Sunday, 12 September 2021
12-9-2021 MONTE CORONA, VALENCIA - ORANGE WINGED DROPWING DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Trithemis kirbyi)
Trithemis kirbyi, also known as the Kirby's dropwing, orange-winged dropwing, or scarlet rock glider is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It is also present in southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean Islands and South Asia to India.
Since 2003 this African tropical dragonfly has been colonizing Europe helped by a widespread increase in temperatures. It is now breeding successfully in Spain, Portugal and France.
The adult male abdomen measures 21–24 mm and hind wing 24–27 mm. Female abdomen measures 23 mm and hind wing 26–30 mm. The male is a medium-sized scarlet dragonfly with a broad reddish amber patch on the base of transparent wings. The female is similar to the male, but duller in color. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical streams and rivers. It breeds in marshes, ponds, and lakes, and prefers to perch on exposed rocks, dry areas, and boulders in riverbeds.
Key Identification Facts & Dimensions
Body Length: Typically ranging from 21 to 23 mm, with the overall length including the abdomen measuring around 3.0 to 3.4 cm.
Wingspan: Up to 5.8 to 6.3 cm.
Abdomen: Dark yellow base color featuring a series of thin, black dashes along either side of segments 6 to 9.
12-9-2021 SOLLANA, VALENCIA - EPAULET SKIMMER DRAGONFLY (MALE) (Orthetrum chrysostigma)
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Orthetrum chrysostigma, the epaulet skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Israel, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi as well as Canary Islands, and Portugal. It was recorded in the Maltese Islands in 2010.
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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 marshes, and freshwater springs. The adults prey on various flying insects. The bodies of adult males are blue, and those of young and females are yellow and brown.
12-9-2021 ALBUFERA, VALENCIA - BLACK WINGED STILT (JUVENILE) (Himantopus himantopus)
Distinctive Juvenile Traits
Plumage: Juveniles look similar to adult females but have noticeably duller, browner, and more mottled feathers on their backs and wings, usually fringed with buff.
Head: They possess a brownish-grey crown and hindneck, as opposed to the clean, stark black-and-white patterns seen on breeding adults.
Legs: While adults boast bright coral-pink or reddish-pink legs, juveniles often start with slightly paler or duller pinkish legs.
Saturday, 11 September 2021
Friday, 10 September 2021
Thursday, 9 September 2021
Wednesday, 8 September 2021
8-9-2021 EL FONDO, ALICANTE - BROAD SCARLET DRAGONFLY (FEMALE) (Crocothemis erythraea)
The scarlet dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter.
The scarlet dragonfly is a common species in southern Europe and throughout Africa. It also occurs across western Asia as far as southern China. It is a very rare vagrant in Britain. Its first record in the country was at Hayle Kimbro Pool, The Lizard, Cornwall, on 7 August 1995. Since then there have been a few further records at scattered coastal or near-coastal locations in southeastern England from Dorset to Norfolk.
A wide range of both running and standing waters, except those that are shaded. Adults may be found some distance from water in habitats ranging from desert to open woodland; absent from dense forest.
Crocothemis erythraea can reach a length of 33–44 millimetres (1.3–1.7 in). These dragonflies haves a flattened and rather broad abdomen. The adult male scarlet dragonfly has a bright scarlet red, widened abdomen, with small amber patches at the bases of the hindwings. Also the veins on the leading edges of the wings are red. Females and immatures are yellow-brown and have a conspicuous pale stripe along the top of the thorax.
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