Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 June, 2023 08:14:16 PM

Dragonflies of Borneo  >  Family Libellulidae  >  Genus Cratilla  >  Cratilla lineata (Brauer, 1878) 线纹蜻蜓/線紋蜻蜓

Family Libellulidae
Cratilla lineata  (Brauer, 1878) 线纹蜻蜓/線紋蜻蜓
Found in Asia: China, Guangxi, Hainan, Indonesia, Lao, Myanmar, Malaysia, Peninsular Malaysia

A lonely male Cratilla lineata perch for long periods awaiting females at a monsoon shallow drain.

Cratilla lineata is similar but smaller and lighter then Cratilla metallica. Robust build and deep metallic-green ground color on the thorax. The looks is similar to Cratilla metallica but the color is duller in coloration and lacks the dark tips to the wings and abdomen darker and narrower.
This species is found in closed forest and forested swamps 0-1100 m and in small shallow pools.
Cratilla lineata Male hw 36-38 mm. Female hw 38-40 mm;
Larvae of Cratilla spp. are very similar, but those of lineata occur in a wider range of standing water forest habitats.
Several subspecies of Cratilla lineata occur throughout eastern tropical Asia.

The three ageing color of male Cratilla lineata dragonflies:

Juvenile	Adult	Aged
Clear Yellow Stripes	Fading Yellow Stripes	Yellow Stripes Faded
A young male Cratilla lineata has the three yellow stripes on the thorax visible	When an adult male Cratilla lineata ready to mat the yellow stripes also begin to fad away	An old male Cratilla lineata has no more of any of the three yellow stripes visible on the thorax
Segment 2 of a male Juvenile Cratilla lineata	Segment 2 of an Adult  male Cratilla lineata	Segment 2 of an Ageing male Cratilla lineata
Juvenile	Adult	Aged
A juvenile Cratilla lineata has Clear wings	An adult Cratilla lineata also has Clear wings	but an aging Cratilla lineata started to have Tinged wings

This male Cratilla lineate thorax lacked the defined yellow lateral stripe. Very likely because of aging as can be seen the lower thorax has become pruinose, with a blue powdery bloom.

The definitive coloration of adults is acquired slowly with maturation, and individuals that are not yet mature may not be fully colored. Male dragonflies on territory at the water or individuals of either sex engaged in reproductive behavior will surely be mature. Some adults become pruinose, with a blue or whitish powdery bloom that covers parts of the body.

Metallic-blue frons and brown-capped grey eyes. Vertex and frons are metallic-blue reflections. The vertex plat has a pair of short horns.

Secondary Copularoty Aapparatus on the segment 2 of a male Cratilla lineate.
This adult has become pruinose with a whitish powdery bloom covering lower parts of the body.

Young male has completely clear wings. But as it age, the wing color started with small tinged brown tip gradually developed to  all wings tinged brown.
This hind wing length is 36mm
Total hind wing span is 76mm
Total body length is 48mm

Metallic-blue frons and brown-capped grey eyes.

The dull color of thorax and pattern of the 3 yellow marks are different from those Cratilla lineate in Taiwan. Likely this one is a tropical subspecies.

Cratilla lineata is robust build and deep metallic-green ground color on the thorax

CHART OF DRAGONFLIES OF BORNEO

RELATED  TOPICS

INTRODUCTION TO THE DAMSELFLIES OF SABAH, BORNEO ISLAND

Insects of Borneo

Insects are  diverse and dominant inhabitants of the tropical rainforests in Borneo Island. New species are discovered too often. Entomologists are still struggling to cope with the documentation of tropical insect diversity.

Red Dragonfly of Sabah

Most of the common dragonflies in Sabah are red coloured, especially from the family Libellulidae.  Some red pecies are even confused as same species, for example the three species of Genus Neurothemis.

The compound eyes of dragonflies

Dragonflies and damselflies have large compound eyes that can see in all directions. When the compound eye is magnified several hundred times, each individual facet (ommatidium) is shown to be hexagonal in shape.

Ovipositor (Vulvar Lamina)
of Female Dragonflies and Damselflies

Female dragonflies have either one of the two method of depositing eggs from the abdomen:
1- using Ovipositor Structure
2- using Vulvar Lamina

Male do not have an ovipositor. Instead male dragonfly and damselfly have appendages.

Damselflies of Borneo