Neurothemis terminata terminata (Ris 1911)

Neurothemis terminata

| English | Simplified Chinese | Traditional Chinese |

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

Super-Family: LIBELLULOIDEA

Family: LIBELLULIDAE

Neurothemis terminata

*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

	Matured Male ♂41mm 2016-09-19 GEMOK Juvenile Male ♂38mm 2016-09-17 SG IMAM
Female ♀35mm 2016-02-29 BUKIT GEMOK	Juvenile Female ♀37mm 2016-02-25 VOCATIONAL

Neurothemis terminata

MALE

RED WING

FEMALE

Type #1
CLEAR WING

Type #2
DARK WING

Female ♀35mm
Type 1 Clear Wings
2016-02-29 BUKIT GEMOK

Comparison of 4 old female of Neurothemis terminata

Compare a teneral male Neurothemis terminata and a matured male Neurothemis terminata

The wings of a teneral is chocolate color as it grew older its color gradually darken to blood red

Males of Neurothemis species are obvious of their extensively pigmented red-brown wings with very dense reticulation.

Wings of a teneral male Neurothemis terminata

Detail of Pterostigme, Nodus, Triangles and Anal Loop of this young dragonfly of Sabah, Malaysia

Size of a male Neurothemis terminata
Wing span = 66mm
Body length = 41mm
Hind wing = 30mm
Abdomen = 27mm

Easily confused are these 2 species N. fluctuans and N. terminata. Both species share the same swamp.

See detail in female N. terminata...

Teneral Wings of Neurothemis terminata

Wings of a teneral (freshly emerged) male Neurothemis terminata terminata (Ris, 1911)

When teneral, the wing of a male Neurothemis terminate is chocolate color with yellow pterostigma. These wings matured into dark red with red pterostigma.

A common red dragonflies in Sabah. Sees often in drains, ditches and ponds.

There are 3 species of Neurothemis whose males have dark red wings with clear (hyaline) areas at the wing tips.

Females N. terminata have 2 wing type : The common one have clear wings and the rear one with dark wing.

The 3 species are quite similar in appearance and difficult to identify in the field.

N. terminata is common on Borneo, most of Indonesia, the Philippines but not commonly found in Peninsular Malaysia.

To identify : Identify by the small hyaline area at the tips of wings. The hyaline margins are at 90 degree to the wings axis.

Neurothemis terminata is a common species in Borneo. Even if one see one, it could be easily mistaken as Neurothemis fluctuans (Fabricius, 1793) or Neurothemis fulvia (Drury, 1773) which are common in Malaysia.

Only 2 male around the drain when I first saw them on 20th January 2007. No female was seen. Neurothemis terminata is a timid species. A slice movement of grasses caused by wind is enough to scare it to fly away to another grass. But they never fly further than a few meters.
This close up took many efforts as Neurothemis are very timid dragonflies that can be scare easily even by a leave movement cause by wind.

The drain where Neurothemis terminata emerge and oviposit

INDEX OF DRAGONFLY