Orthetrum sabina

Orthetrum sabina, the slender skimmer[1] or green marsh hawk,[3] is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.[4][5] It is widespread, being found from south-eastern Europe and North Africa to Japan and south to Australia and Micronesia.[6][7]

Orthetrum sabina
Male, Burdwan, West Bengal, India.
Female, Nepal
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Infraorder: Anisoptera
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Orthetrum
Species:
O. sabina
Binomial name
Orthetrum sabina
(Drury, 1770)[2]
Synonyms
  • Lepthemis divisa Selys, 1878
  • Libellua leptura Burmeister, 1839
  • Libellula ampullacea Schneider, 1845
  • Libellula gibba Fabricius, 1798
  • Libellula sabina Drury, 1770
  • Orthetrum nigrescens Bartenev, 1929
  • Orthetrum viduatum Lieftinck, 1942

Description and habitat

It is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85mm. Adults are grayish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings and green eyes. Its abdomen is greenish-yellow, marked with black.[8] It is very similar to Orthetrum serapia in appearance, with both species appearing in northern Australia. Pale markings on segment four of the abdomen do not extend into the posterior section when viewed from above on Orthetrum sabina. Females are similar to males in shape, color and size; differing only in sexual characteristics.[8][9] This dragonfly perches motionless on shrubs and dry twigs for long periods. It voraciously preys on smaller butterflies and dragonflies.[8][10][11][12]

  • Female
  • Male
  • Male viewed from front on
  • Side view of male
  • Face
  • Colouring changes with age
  • Old male with darkened abdomen and thorax
  • Orthetrum sabina feeding Neurothemis fulvia
  • Orthetrum sabina feeding Tetrathemis platyptera
  • Orthetrum sabina feeding Udaspes folus
  • Mating pair
  • in flight
  • Fig 4. From Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, Vol. I. by Dru Drury, 1770.
  • Female wings
  • Male wings
  • Orthetrum sabina_female_at_ vechoochira_kerala_India

See also

References
  1. Mitra, A. (2013). "Orthetrum sabina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T165470A17533255. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T165470A17533255.en.
  2. Drury, D. (1770). Illustrations of Natural History; wherein are exhibited upwards of two hundred and forty figures of exotic insects according to their genera. London: White. pp. 130 [114]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.61910 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  3. Subramanian, K. A. (2005). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India (PDF).
  4. "Species Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1770)". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  5. Schorr, Martin; Paulson, Dennis. "World Odonata List". Slater Museum of Natural History. University of Puget Sound. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  6. Watson, J.A.L.; Theischinger, G.; Abbey, H.M. (1991). The Australian Dragonflies: A Guide to the Identification, Distributions and Habitats of Australian Odonata. Melbourne: CSIRO. p. 278. ISBN 0643051368.
  7. K.A., Subramanian; K.G., Emiliyamma; R., Babu; C., Radhakrishnan; S.S., Talmale (2018). Atlas of Odonata (Insecta) of the Western Ghats, India. Zoological Survey of India. pp. 357–358. ISBN 9788181714954.
  8. C FC Lt. Fraser (1936). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Vol. III. Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 300–302.
  9. Theischinger, G; Hawking, J (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Collingwood Vic.: CSIRO Publishing. p. 268. ISBN 978 0 64309 073 6.
  10. C FC Lt. Fraser (1924). A Survey of the Odonate (Dragonfly) Fauna of Western India and Descriptions of Thirty New Species (PDF). p. 432.
  11. "Orthetrum sabina Drury, 1773". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
  12. "Orthetrum sabina Drury, 1773". Odonata of India, v. 1.00. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. Retrieved 2017-02-15.

Media related to Orthetrum sabina at Wikimedia Commons

Data related to Orthetrum sabina at Wikispecies

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.