Malachites

Family Synlestidae Tillyard, 1917 (Malachites)

Distribution Worldwide

• 10 Genera approximately 40 species 

Affrica

Three genera endemic to Africa

Genus Chlorolestes Selys, 1862   True Malachites

The genus is separated into two well-defined subgenera

• Genus Chlorolestes
  
• • Seven Species
  • All species are confined to South Africa, except C. elegans that extends from the north of that country along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border to southern Malawi (Mt Mulanje) and northern Mozambique (Mt Namuli).

• Genus Ecchlorolestes Barnard, 1937
  
• • Two Species
  • Confined to south-western South Africa

Genus Nubiolestes Fraser, 1945   Rainforest Malachite

• One Species
• Unique within its range from south-eastern Nigeria to southern Gabon

 Habitat 

Genera

• Genus Chlorolestes   True Malachites
  Breeding in pools of cool streams and rivers, e.g. in forest, montane grassland and lowland fynbos in the Cape
• Genus Ecchlorolestes    Toothed Malachites
  Two Species
  E. nylephtha prefers to live in deeply shaded and often ferny forest streamlets on the Garden Coast.
  E. peringueyi inhabits stony streams in the south-western Western Cape and typically perches with wings and body pressed against a flat rock surface. As it favours horizontal shady faces, the blotchy grey coloration renders it remarkably inconspicuous.
• Genus Nubiolestes Fraser, 1945   Rainforest Malachite
  One Species
  Males hang motionlessly in vegetation near deeply shaded rainforest streams, typically in mountainous areas.

General identification features

Malachites are medium-sized to large (hindwing 19-37 mm) dark damselflies, often with a metallic (green) sheen and usually some yellow markings.
Dark wing bands develop between the pterostigma and node in males of all species except C. conspicuus and C. draconicus, but all banded species can have clear-winged males whose frequency varies greatly.
Whitish pruinosity develops on the abdomen tip of all species, on (parts of) the thorax in some, and as broad bands on the central wing in banded male

Genus Chlorolestes

• Often large metallic green species
• Sometimes with conspicuously banded wings.

Genus Ecchlorolestes

• Fairly large (hindwing 27-30 mm) species
• Differ from Chlorolestes by the toothed cerci and wing venation details, but are very different from each other.
• E. nylephtha is slender and green metallic, lurking in deeply shaded and often ferny forest streamlets on the Garden Coast.
• E. peringueyi inhabits stony streams in the south-western Western Cape and typically perches with wings and body pressed against a flat rock surface. As it favours horizontal shady faces, the blotchy grey coloration renders it remarkably inconspicuous.

Genus Nubiolestes

•  Very long abdomen (53-54 mm) has abdominal segments 3-6 distinctly orange and the widened abdominal segments 8-10 brightly white pruinose, but only the latter stands out in the gloom

Synopsis

• Only images of male
• To view females and for the full description of the species click on the images

Images

Genus Chlorolestes

Genus Ecchlorolestes

Genus Nubiolestes

Distribution in Africa and surrounding islands

• Most species confined to South Africa (8) with one found in Malawi; Mozambique; Republic of South Africa; Zimbabwe. In the southern African literature, the True- and Toothed Malachites are generally known as Malachites. Refer Taxonomy below
• One species (Rainforest Malachite) in tropical Africa, unique within its range from south-eastern Nigeria to southern Gabon

Credit

[Adapted from Dijkstra & Clausnitzer 2014]