Assegai Sprite, Pseudagrion (B) assegaii,  Assegaaigesie 

Family Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890

Short description:

Assegai Sprite, Pseudagrion (B) assegaii, Assegaaigesie  is small, all bright blue and black with a spear shaped mark abdomen.

Also called Spearhead Sprite, Spear Sprite

More Images:

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Key identification features:

Male

• \Face is light sky blue and black with the labrum light blue with small central black spot. Anteclypeus brownish pale blue, postclypeus black. Frons is blue in front with a black half-moon marking above, which connects with black of top of head. Head black with isolated blue postocular spots from above.
• Eyes are pale blue, pinkish below. Neck is black above with a blue spot on each side, blue below.
• Thorax is black above bordered by brownish blue stripes, sharply-defined narrow black stripe present on each side.
• Wings are clear. Pterostigmas pale brown, almost buff.
• Abdominal Segment 1 is sky blue with black basal spot. S 2 is blue with distinct spearhead-shape black marking. The rest of abdomen is light blue with black line running along top up to hind margin of s 7. Segments 8 to 10 are bright sky blue.S 10 has black mark on top in the form of an "X"

Female

• Slightly more robust than male.
• Very similar patterning, only the blue is replaced by reddish brown or light brown.
• Pterostigmas also like male, very pale.

Habitat:

• Preferred habitat is sluggish streams and pools with an abundance of lilies reeds and grasses in dry savanna.

Behaviour:

• Usually seen sitting on lily pads, but will flit close to the water surface when disturbed. 
• May be found in the grassy areas next to the waters edge

Compared with other species:

• Segment 2 is shaped like a spear on P assegaii and like a round bowl flower pot with long stem on Africallagme glaucum, Swamp bluet.
• Postacular spots on P assegaii is small, round and not linked to each other
• On A. glaucum the postocular spots at narrow and linked.
• Marking on S 7 in P. assegaii in open and less of a keyhole than A. glaucum only about 2/3 around the end of the segment

Distribution

South Africa

• Previously known  from the Limpopo Province but was recently found in western Mpumalanga (Witbank and Bronkhorstspruit).

Africa

• Botswana; Namibia; Republic of South Africa; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe

Further reading:

Websites:

• A Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
  
• The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species  Least Concern
  
• African Dragonflies & Damselflies Online
  
• Odonata Atlas of Africa Odonata Atlas of Africa Number 663680.