Bottletail Male Close-up - Dragonflies & Damselflies of southern Africa

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Beautiful Damselflies

Chlorolestes apricans,
Amatola Malachite Male
Endemic to south Africa
Visible in a small area in the Eastern Cape
Endangered

Platycypha fitzsimmonse,
Bouder Jewel, Male
Endemic to South Africa
Prefers Rocky streams at higher altitudes

Proischnura polychromatica,
Mauve Bluet
Endemic to South Africa
Extremely rare and critically endangered

Pseudagrion newtoni,
Harlequin Sprite, Male
Endemic to South Africa
Rare and localised.

Beautiful Dragonflies

1 4020 Aethriamanta rezia Pygmy Basker P Mch 2024r 3

Aethriamanta rezia, Pygmy Basker
Not often seen. Only visible in the warm costal areas of eastern Southern Africa
Prefers Well vegetated pond

Crenigomphus hartmann, Clubbed Talontail,
Seen perching on rocks in fast flowing rivers
Females often seen some distance away from the water.

Nesciothemis farinosa, Eastern Blacktail
Hunts up and down Ponds and fast flowing streams. Often cohabit and confused with skimmers

Beautiful Dragonflies

Tetrathemis polleni,
Black-splashed Elf
Found on shady streams and pools

103 502 Ceratogomphus triceraticus Cape thorntail 6

Ceratogomphus triceraticus,
Cape Thorntail, Male
Endemic to South Africa
Inhabit flowing rock strewn streams

Diplacodes pumila
Dwarf Percher
Female
Endemic to South Africa

Trithemis hecate,
Silhouette Dropwing,
Male
Not often seen in South africa

Bottletail Male Close-up

Bottletail Olpogastra lugubris Gewone Bottelstert

Bottletail Male Close-up Images to assist with the identification of dragonflies species Bottletail Olpogastra lugubris Gewone Bottelstert

Click on all images to enlarge or view more

More images:

100 1716 Olpogastra lugubris Bottletail Male Mabusa Nature Reserve MP RSA Dec 2017r 8

100 1705 Olpogastra lugubris Bottletail Male Mabusa Nature Reserve MP RSA Dec 2017r 1

River Reed Rapid Leselo Lodge LP RSA Oct 2020r 2

Habitat

Distribution:

Olpogastra lugubris Bottletail Distribution Map Mch 2021

Distribution Map

Political Map South africa

Political Map

Topographical Map South Africa

Topographical Map

Olpogastra lugubris Bottletail Distribution Map Mch 2021

Political Map Africa

Political Map

Topographical Map Africa

Topographical Map

South Africa:

Bottletail, Olpogastra lugubris, Lenige Bottelstert is monotypic and endemic to tropical Africa. In South Africa it occurs in the hot north eastern Lowveld areas of LP and MP (recently found north east of Pretoria) and the far northern edge of KZN

Male:

Angola; Benin; Botswana; Côte d'Ivoire; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Chad; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of Guinea; Republic of South Africa; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Sudan; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Further reading:

Websites

Recent discovery

Microgomphus nyassicus,
Eastern Scissortail
Male
Photographed by dragonfly photographer Antoinette Snyman or the first time in southern Africa May 2019

Interesting fact

Zygonyx torridus
Ringed Cascader
Male
Hunts over rapid flowing streams close to cascad

Recently Described

Syncordulia venator,
Mahogany Presba.
Rare. Endemic to the Western Cape Region of South Africa

Beautiful

Phyllogomphus selysi.
Bold Leaftail. Male
Male Seldom seen in South Africa.
Note: Peculiar shaped clasper

Recently Revised

Orthetrum hintzi,
Dark-shouldered Skimmer
Prefers Clear water ponds with grassy verges

Recently Revised

Ceratogomphus pictus,
Common Thorntail,
Found near streams and pools

Recently Revised

Pantala flavescens, Pantala
Hunts over open water and pools

Recently Revised

Africallagma glaucum, Swamp Bluet.
Found at the edge of clear water pools