Orthetrum testaceum testaceum (Burmeister, 1839) 赭黃蜻蜓

ID Source#1 : http://www.asia-dragonfly.net
Found in China, Hainan, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Viet Nam

Genus : Orthetrum

 Super-Family: LIBELLULOIDEA Family: LIBELLULIDAE

|  English Version  |  Traditional Chinese Version  |

雌虫

眼 翅基 翅脈翅透明 翅痣
　 　 　 　
胸 　 腹
　
　 　 　

An immature female Orthetrum testaceum

Orthetrum chrysis  and Orthetrum testaceum are easily confused.

Orthetrum chrysis , is smaller than Orthetrum testaceum , the thorax is dark tending to black, and underneath the base of the abdomen, in front of the secondary genitalia, is a strong tuft of black hairs looking like a small curved spine to the naked eye.

In Orthetrum testaceum the thorax is a light orange-brown with NO tuft of hairs at the base of the abdomen.

Orthetrum testaceum testaceum (Burmeister, 1839)  赭黃蜻蜓

One of the largest of red dragonflies in Sabah. Common in tropical Asia.  Common in open, disturbed habitates including drains, ponds and gardens.  Orthetrum testaceum can be seen almost every where.

This matured Orthetrum testaceum males is a  stunning red beauty. It flies swiftly to and fro protecting his moonsoon drain. The female has a brown body with obscure dark markings.

　

蜻蜓 生于水际。种类很多，多數的蜻蜓，雌雄顏色並不一樣.  形体及色彩亦多样。头上复眼甚大，四翅六足，后翅压前翅；翅透明有脉络网纹，翅角有翅痣。腹部细长，有环状节。

Photographed at Sabah forest reserve on 8th October 2006 Morning
Male 雄 Female 未熟雌蟲
　 Brown with obscure dark markings

Distal Antenodal : (i.e. the one immediately before the nodus) is said to be ‘complete’, in that it extends from costa to radius

Antenodal Veins : Small cross-veins at the front of the dragonfly or damselfly wing, between the wing base and the nodus.
Orthetrum testaceum testaceum (Burmeister, 1839) has complete Distal Atenodal

　
　

This Orthetrum testaceum testaceum I photographed on 30-1-2007 also has a complete Distal Atenodal but followed by an incomplete second Antenodal Vain
Orthetrum testaceum testaceum (Burmeister, 1839) mating and oviposit

See photo detail...

Photo date : 17-12-2007
Place : Sabah

Hovering above water selecting a spot to deposit eggs - A female Orthetrum testaceum  laying eggs on a pond in Sabah forest reserve. (December 2006)

Dragonfly   males  possess 2 sets of sexual organs :

1 - primary sexual apparatus on the 9th segment at the end of his abdomen.

2 - secondary sexual organs on the 2nd abdominal segments

The male Dragonfly  first charge his secondary copulatory apparatus with sperm from his primary copulatory apparatus before mating , 

Dragonfly mating start  with  male grasping the female with his abdominal claspers. The two then assume the wheel position with the tip of the females abdomen (sexual apparatus)  engaging the males secondary copulatory apparatus. The male first uses his penis to remove any sperm left by a previous male before inseminating her himself.

Copulation can take from several minutes to several hours depending on species. As for this pair of  Orthetrum testaceum they copulate for less then 1 minutes.

Some species. the male stays in tandem with the female while she lays her eggs. Other species, such as this Orthetrum testaceum  the male stays close to the female guarding her while she oviposit and expel all other males from his territory allowing the female to lay only in his territory.

　

INDEX : Dragonfly     October 01, 2016 09:28:35 PM