Mountain Sprite, Pseudagrion draconis, Berggesie. A-group  Flag of South Africa.svg

105 007 Pseudagrion draconis Mountain SpriteMale

1 10166 Pseudagrion draconis Mountain Sprite Male Garry Dec 2023r 44Old Male

117 600 Pseudagrion draconis Mountain Sprite600

 

Short Description:

Mountain Sprite, Pseudagrion draconis, Berggesie is small slate blue damsel with mauvish blue abdominal tip. It has a black face with pruinose forehead and a black labrum.

Family Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890

More images

Pseudagrion draconis Image Gallery
1 10169 Pseudagrion draconis Mountain Sprite Male Close Male Estcort KZN RSA Feb 2020r 33Male
105 005 Pseudagrion draconis 2016 01 31 aMale
 
 

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Key identification features:

Male:

  • Face and labrum are mostly black.
  • Frons is black and heavy pruinescent white.
  • Eyes are black above and green below.
  • Wings are clear with dark, reddish brown pterostigmas.
  • Thorax is slate to navy blue above and light green below - with age becoming a little pruinescent. Undefined, very short cross stripe, originating from the hind end of the humeral stripe.
  • Abdomen is slate blue with bronze sheen, greenish or buff below - S8-9 is mauvish blue dorsal becoming pruinescent grey in old individuals.

Female:

  • Light green with black dorsal and humeral stripes, dark greenish abdomen, buff below.
  • Abdomen Segments 8 and 9 have a definite blue pattern.
Habitat:
  • Mostly streams, but also rivers, in open landscapes or open areas in forest. Often calmer sections (like pools), usually with emergent vegetation and/or probably submerged roots.
  • Inferred to occur from 0 to 2700 m above sea level, but mostly below 600 in west of range.
Behaviour:
  • It hovers low and close to water of the slower sunlight reaches of clear montane streams and rivers - often perches on boulders in the mid stream.
Compared with other species:
  • Face of P. draconis is mostly black with black labrum, while face of P. salisburyense is greyish green or blue with greenish or bluish labrum. 
  • P. furcigerum has a green labrum.
  • P. spernatum lacks the mauve on the the terminal segments of the abdomen.
  • P. draconisis has an undefined very short cross stripe originating from the hind end of the humeral stripe, while the P spernatum a definite cross stripe from the hind end of the humeral stripe towards the antihumeral stripe.
  • P. draconis very close to P. spernatum, Upland Sprite. In the Drakensberg region it also cohabit in flowing streams
Distribution:

Pseudagrion draconis Mountain Sprite Distribution Map July 2020Distribution Map

South Africa Physical MapTopographical Map

map of south africa maxPolitical Map

 

 

 

South Africa:

  • Endemic to South Africa,   Flag of South Africa.svg
  • From the Western Cape mountains through to the mountains of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. In the Drakensberg, it may reach 2 100 m elevation. 

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  • B-Group
  • To view a list of B-Group Sprite images Click HERE
Further reading:

Websites of interest

addoAfrican Dragonflies & Damselflies online
VM OdonataMAP logo 108x90 RGB trOdonata Atlas of Africa - VMU Number 663300
IUCNThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Least Concern
A Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South AfricaD D ID