Last Updated on Tuesday, 25 July, 2023 09:30:02 AM

INDEX  >  Dragonflies of Borneo  >  Family Libellulidae  >  Genus Neurothemis  >  Neurothemis ramburii 善變蜻蜓

Neurothemis ramburii 善變蜻蜓
Red Percher
common in disturbed habitats

Left : Matured male Neurothemis ramburii
Right : Juvenile male Neurothemis ramburii

Found in Asia: China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Peninsular Malaysia, Taiwan

Neurothemis ramburii dragonfly is a common dragonfly. Its body color is changeable. The mature males are ocher (dark) red, reddish brown, etc., and the mature females are more brown. Body length: 3.4~4.2 cm. Neurothemis ramburii females are similar in appearance to the males, but the females have two types of body color, yellowish brown and reddish brown.

Distributed in static waters such as lakes, ponds, streams, paddy fields and swamps below an altitude of 1500m. A very common dragonfly.

Type 1 Clear wing Common
Female Clear wing 34mm
hind wing = 30mm

Type 2 Dark wing Rare
Female Dark wing Juvenile 37mm
hind wing = 28mm

Male Red wing
body length = 40mm
hind wing = 28mm

MALE
The compound eyes of the male are dark reddish brown, and the thorax is dark reddish brown. There are 3 black vertical lines at the end of the abdomen and back, and the left and right two are not obvious. The abdomen is reddish brown, and the end is black. Fine black markings, red grippers.
Most of the area of the wings is reddish brown, and a small area at the end of the wings is transparent, and the wing moles are red. Most of the area of the wings is reddish brown and transparent, and there is a small area at the end of the wings that is a transparent area, and the wing moles are red. The abdomen is reddish brown, with a black stripe on the dorsal mid-ridge and fine black markings on the sides. Anor-abdominal organs are red or yellowish-brown, with black ends. The abdomen is about 22-25mm long, and the hind wing is about 26-30mm long. The immature male is similar to the female in yellowish brown, which can be identified from the structure of the grasper and the tail hair of the female. It lives in ponds, paddy fields, swamps and other still or flowing waters, and is widely distributed throughout the island. It is a common species. (Note: There are 2 species in this genus, which are fickle dragonfly and double-cut dragonfly.)

FEMALE
The body shape of the female is similar to that of the male, and some individuals are also similar to the male in body color, while some are yellowish brown. The immature males are also yellowish brown. The body shape and body color of females are similar to those of males, but the black spots on the center and sides of the abdomen are thicker and more obvious, especially the longitudinal stripes on the side edges are more developed. white or red.

The female is similar to the male, but the black vertical stripes on the back of the abdomen are thicker and more obvious. There are two types of body color, red and yellowish brown, which is the origin of the name.
Immature males are yellowish brown.

Males Neurothemis ramburii like to stop on the protruding branches of the water side. During the breeding season, the females lay eggs by splashing on water surface while the males will guard nearby.

A pair of Neurothemis ramburii found on 2016-09-20 at Gemok Hill
♀34MM ♂40MM

This pair found together proved that female of Neurothemis ramburii has a Clear Wings type other then the Dark Wings type commonly known .

More details on female Neurothemis ramburii.

Size of a matured male N. ramburii
Wing span = 56mm
Body length = 36mm
Hind wing = 26mm
Abdomen = 24mm

Neurothemis terminata	Neurothemis ramburii	Neurothemis fluctuans
Male : Bright Red Female : 1- Clear Wings and 2- Dark Wings	Male : Bright Red Female : 1- Clear Wings and 2- Dark Wings	Male : Dark Red Female : Clear Wings
Neurothemis terminata Matured 43mm	Neurothemis ramburii MALE	Neurothemis fluctuans Matured Male 31mm ♂
Neurothemis terminata FEMALE has two different type: Type 1 - Clear Wings Type 2 - Dark Wings	Neurothemis ramburii FEMALE has two different type: Type 1 - Clear Wings Type 2 - Dark Wings	Female Only 1 type Clear Wings The color of this dragonfly is light greenish yellow. The abdomen has three rows of black marks. The black marks at the top center of abdomen is connected from the base to the end of abdomen making it resemble a line. The size of this dragonfly is about 30mm +- long.
Neurothemis terminata	Neurothemis ramburii	Neurothemis fluctuans
N. terminata: 2 types: a) with colouration in the wings, similar to the male; b) with clear wings and dark wing tips.	N. ramburii: 2 types: a) with colouration in the wings, similar to the male; b) with clear wings and dark wing tips.	N. fluctuans: only 1 type: clear wings; without any colouration to the wings.
	Matured Male ♂ 41mm 2016-09-19 GEMOK Juvenile Male ♂ 38mm 2016-09-17 SG IMAM
Female ♀ 35mm 2016-02-29 BUKIT GEMOK	Female ♀ 34mm 2016-09-20 BUKIT GEMOK
	Matured Female ♀35mm 2007-06-30 MEROTAI Juvenile Female ♀ 37mm 2016-02-25 VOCATIONAL

A comparison of a young and an old female Neurothemis ramburii

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