Sooty Threadtail (Elattoneura frenulata)

Sooty Threadtail, Elattoneura frenulata, Roetswartdraadstertjie

108 012 Male Kogelberg Western Cape 18 11 2015

Elattoneura frenulata Sooty Threadtail Female Kogelberg Western Cape 18 11 2015

Short description:

Sooty Threadtail, Elattoneura frenulata Roetswartdraadstertjie is small sized, distinctly blackish damselfly with blackish upper parts, with a greyish tip to a very slender abdomen.

Family Platycnemididae (Yakobson & Bianchi, 1905)

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Key identification features:

Male:

Black face with strong black hairs. Head black from above, developing pruinescence with age
Eyes black above, bluish grey below
Thorax black above, greyish buff below;appears striped with pruinescence in old males.
Clear wings, with dark brown pterostigmas with fine light brown borders.
Abdomen black above and light brown below. Segments 9 and 10 light grey, pruinescent

Note:

Males occurring at high elevations of the Cederberg have a tendency to be blue rather than black, especially top of the head and thorax.

Female:

Slightly larger, slightly larger, more robust than male
Overall dark brown
Thorax faintly striped light and dark brown.

Habitat:

Favours tall grasses of clear sluggish reaches of streams & rivers with well-vegetated banks.
Inferred to occur from 0 to 1200 m above sea level, but mostly below 700.

Behaviour:

Usually fairly well-hidden among the tall grasses and other vegetation, but can be seen cruising among them when disturbed.
Cruises & settles along the edges, perching low on plants and exposed rocks.
On the wing from November to May.

Compared with other species:

Vaguely similar to young Pseudagrion draconis (Mountain Sprite) but smaller and lacking the postocular spots.

Distribution of Sooty Threadtail, Elattoneura frenulata, Roetswartdraadstertjie

South Africa

Endemic to the montane areas of the Western and Eastern Cape.
Localised, although common in places.