Palmiet Sprite, Pseudagrion furcigerum, Palmietgesie.    Flag of South Africa.svg

Palmiet Sprite, Pseudagrion furcigerum. Male Kogelberg nature reserveMale
103 008 Pseudagrion furcigerum Palmiet SpriteFemale
103 009 Pseudagrion furcigerum Palmiet SpriteMating Pair
Short description:

Palmiet Sprite, Pseudagrion furcigerum, Palmietgesie is small slate blue damselfly that is pruinosed on thorax, abdomen and forehead.

Family Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890
More Images:
108 014 Pseudagrion furcigerum Palmiet Sprite Male Kogelberg Western Cape 18 11 2015Image Gallery
 
 
 
 
 

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Key identification features:

Male

  • Face blueish white pruinosed with green labrum. Postocular spots have no truly pigmented ocular spots, but dumb-bell shaped pruinescent spots connected with pruinescent line.
  • Eyes green with blackish grey cap.
  • Black dorsal stripes on thorax with blue antihumeral stripe and a broad humeral (lateral) black stripe on either side of thorax.
  • Thorax below is white or heavily pruinescent.
  • Wings with dark brown pterostigmas.
  • Abdomen segment 1-3 are whitish pruinescence, s4 – S7 are blackish blue with black rings between segments and white underneath. s8-10 pruinescent whitish blue.
  • Superior appendages has a distinct hook in side view and are wide with a small black inward-projecting tooth on the upper clasper.

Female

  • Brightly coloured like the male.
  • Can be buff, or bright bluish green or orange to rufous brown with dark humeral stripes.
  • Rufus orange when young, but becomes distinctly blue when older.
Habitat:
  • Mostly streams, but also rivers and headwaters, in open landscapes. Usually with emergent vegetation, such as palmiet, often rocks, and/or probably submerged roots
  • Inferred to occur from 0 to 1400 m above sea level, but mostly below 800.
Behaviour:
  • Perch on reed blades or flat stones. Not very active.
  • Female perches with the male on the stones in the midstream.
Compared with other species:
  • Pseudagrion furcigerum and Pseudagrion kersteni are the only species with striped thorax that are pale pruinescent.
  • P. furcigerum has a green labrum and the bigger P. kersteni has a black labrum. 
  • P. furcigerum has a wider thoracic lateral, black stripe.
  • P. kersteni has very bright blue postocular spots - P. furcigerum has pruinescent spots.
  • P. furcigerum has a distinct basal tooth on the superior appendages.
Learn more about species in Sprite A-group

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Pseudagrio Kersteni,

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Pseudagrion citricola

  • B-Group
  • To view a list of B-Group Sprite images Click HERE
Distribution
Distribution Map July 2020Distribution Map
Political Map South Africa Political Map
Topographical Map South Africa Topographical Map
 
 
 

South Africa

  • Endemic to south Africa    Flag of South Africa.svg
  • Restricted to the Southern Cape.
Further reading:

Website of interest::
addoAfrican Dragonflies & Damselflies Online
D D IDA Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
VM OdonataMAP logo 108x90 RGB trOdonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 663350
IUCNThe IUCN red List of Threatened Species. Least Concern