Queen Malachite, Ecchlorolestes nylephtha, Koninginmalagiet      

Short description:

Queen Malachite, Ecchlorolestes nylephtha, Koninginmalagiet is fairly large, slender damselfly, dull metallic green when young becoming brownish with age. Distinct pale greyish pruinescent spot on neck and one small and one large spot between the wing.

Family Synlestidae Tillyard, 1917

Note

 The genus Chlorolestes is separated into two well-defined subgenera:

• Chlorolestes
• Ecchlorolestes

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Key identification features:

Male:

• Length 51- 53-55 mm ♂; 47 mm ♀;wingspan 58-60-61 mm ♂; 57-59-61 mm♀Length 51- 53-55 mm ♂; 47 mm ♀;wingspan 58-60-61 mm ♂; 57-59-61 mm♀
• Face shiny metallic deep bluish green with pale yellow spots. Head dull blackish brown with the first antennal segments pale yellow from above.
• Eyes above and in front dark greyish brown, behind and below yellowish grey.
• Thorax in young males dull metallic green darkening to dull brown with age, two narrow but distinct light yellow stripes on sides,yellowish with light pruinescence below. Area between wings heavily pruinescent with one large and one small greyish spot.Wings clear, tend to be slightly smoky. Pterostigmas dark brown.
• Abdomen metallic green in young males becoming dark brown with age.Abdomen with yellow rings present at base of s 3 to 7. S 9 and 10 heavily pruinescent, light bluish grey.

Female:

• Female similar to male, duller, especially at the top of the head, segments 9 and 10 only lightly pruinescent.

 Habitat:

• Preferred habitat is small, clear streams with pools with high organic content in full forest.
• Inferred to occur from 0 to 900 m above sea level.

Behaviour

• Both the males and females are seen at the water’s edge, females are generally relatively inconspicuous. 
• Males hangs from ferns and other vegetation with outstretched wings over the water.
• Can be seen perching on boulders in streams with its wings spread out, similar to the Rock Malachite

Compared with other species:

• Chlorolestes apricans is the smallest of all Chlorolestes species
• The only other Chlorolestes species in Amatola-Winterberg region of South Africa are C. fasciatus (Mountain malachite) and C. tessellatus (Forrest Malachite), both of which also have banded wings in the ECP, but both species are much larger (more than 50 mm long).
  
• C. apricans and C. fasciatus can be in the same habitat (open, sunny, grassy streams), C. tessellatus, (in forest), but are separated on shape of hind margin of s 10 and on appendages.
• The only other small Chlorolestes species is C. umbratus (White Malachite), of the southern Cape coastal area, which has a very pruinescent synthorax and, in side view, hooked superior appendages. Labrum is metallic green, in both male and female C. apricans, but black in male and female C. umbratus.

Distribution

Male:

•  Endemic to South Africa        
• Only known from the forests of the southern Cape, from the east of the Western Cape to the west of the Eastern Cape.

Further reading:

Websites:

• A Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species   Near Threatened
• African Dragonflies & Damselflies Online
• Odonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 660150