Sapphire Bluet, Africallagma sapphirinum, Saffierbloutjie.    Flag of South Africa.svg

100 007 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Pair Kloofzight Nov 2015 r
109 504 20180115110804 01
101 026 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Pair Bethel MP December 2012r
Family Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890
Short Description:

Sapphire Bluet, Africallagma sapphirinum, Saffierbloutjie is small sized, sapphire blue with black rings on abdomen segments 3 to segment 5.

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109 503 20180115110915 01Image Gallery
1 1299 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 1Male
 
 
 
 

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Key identification features:

Male:

  • 1 1301 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 7Face is sapphire blue and black. The labrum is light blue and the postclypeus black. Top of the head is black. Postocular spots are sapphire blue and linked with a thin blue line.
  • Eyes are bright blue with black cap.1 1301 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 7
  • 1 1300 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 5Synthorax is blue. Middorsal stripes of the synthorax are shiny black with blue antihumeral stripes and thin black humeral stripes on either side. Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 1Sides of the synthorax are blue.
  • Wings are clear and the pterostigmas are dark grey to black with pale border.
  • 1 1299 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 1Abdomen is deep sapphire blue and black. 1 1302 Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Male Close up Magaliesburg NWP RSA Mch 2017r 8Segments one to five are mainly sapphire-blue with a discontinuous black dorsal stripe. The dorsal stripe forms distinct ring-shaped black markings in S3 - S5. The S6, S7 and S10 are mostly black. S 8 and S9 are sapphire blue

Female:

  • Dull blue with thin black humeral stripes. Blue postocular spots. Abdomen light brown below with similarly dorsal markings as the male.
Habitat:
  • Its natural habitat is standing waters, pools, dams and still parts of streams and rivers with floating and semi-submerged aquatic vegetation.
  • From 900 to 2100 m above sea level, but possibly up to 2700.
Behaviour:
  • Perch close to the water on plant stems and flies just above the water surface.
Compared with other species:
  • Africallagma sapphirinum has distinctive bright sapphire blue colour.
  • Distinctive black rings on S3-5 of the abdomen. A. sapphirinum has dark grey to black pterostigmas and normal wingtips and the Proischnura rotundipennis has round blue and black pterostigmas and round wingtips.
Distribution:
Africallagma sapphirinum Sapphire Bluet Distribution Map July 2020 MapDistribution Map
Political Map South Africa Political Map
Topographical Map South Africa Topographical Map
Africallagma sapphirinum Distribution Map AfricaDistribution Map
Political Map AfricaPolitical Map
Topographical Map AfricaTopographical Map

South Africa

  • It is endemic to South Africa.  Flag of South Africa.svg
  • Found in the grassland highveld of central South Africa.
Further reading:

Websites of interest: