Orange-winged Dropwing, Trithemis kirbyi, Oranjevalvlerkie

100 3712 Pseudagrion harmoni Swarthy Sprite Male Marken LP RSA Dec 2017r 2Male
Young Male Tshipise, LP, RSAMale
100 920 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Teneral Male Kloofzight Krugersdorp GP RSA Febr 2016r 2Teneral Male
Short description:

Orange-winged Dropwing, Trithemis kirbyi, Oranjevalvlerkie Small to medium sized, bright orange red dragonfly, with diagnostic large orange splashes on all wings.

Previously known as Rock Dropwing or Kirby's Dropwing

Family Libellulidae         (Leach, 1815)
More Images:

100-919 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Male Mystic Monkeys Jan 2017Image
Gallery

100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Close up Mabusai LP RSA Dec 2018r 2Male

100 2047 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 1Female

100 3720 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Old Close up Marlothpark MP Apr 2023r 6Female
Old

100 2728 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up Marlothpark MP Apr 2023r 1Female
Mature

 

Click on all images to enlarge or view more

Guides:
Key identification features:

Males:  100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Close up Mabusai LP RSA Dec 2018r 2

  • Face bright light red. Labium yellow brown, unmarked. . Labrum, anteclypeus, postclypeus and entire frons bright light red. Frons has two prominent peaks visible in both male and female.. 100 3736 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Marken LP RSA JDec 2017r 10Top of head brownish red with high peaks. 
  • Eyes bright red above, darker below becoming grayish at the lower margin 100 3736 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Marken LP RSA JDec 2017r 10
  • Thorax bright red above, deep red on sides with browner areas and short black wavy lines. 100 622 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Close up Mabusai LP RSA Dec 2018r 5 Lighter creamy brown stripe in middle of thorax . Legs mostly orange  
  • Wings with red veins, large orange splashes present covering about a third of length of all four wings. Pterostigmas bright reddish brown with orange outer margins, paler on underside, short (2 mm).100 2055 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Close up Mabusai LP RSA Dec 2018r 19
  • Abdomen bright orange red, with fine, black dashes on upper surface of s 8. Large black mark on s 9 and narrow black band on s 10. S 10 very narrow.100 625 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Close up Mabusai LP RSA Dec 2018r 13 When young short yellow stripes visible on dorsal and lateral abdomen.

Females: 100 907 Trithemis annulata Violet Dropwing Female Moreletta Sept 2016r 2

  • Very inconspicuous, yellowish to greenish brown  100 2047 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 1
  • Thorax faint dark brown stripes with light brownish white mark in center. 100 2048 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 4
  • Like male, has prominent peaks on frons, and especially vertex. 100 2052 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 11 100 2051 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 9
  • Hindwing with faint to prominent, spotty basal, amber patch. 100 3708 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mature Close up1 Marloth MP Apr 2023r 16 100 3710 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Mat Close up Marlothpark MP Apr 2023r 25 100 3731 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Female Old Close up Marlothpark MP RSA 2023r 32
  • Broad abdomen with black stripes and yellow markings 
Habitat
  • Frequents standing and often temporary waters, rivers, streams and large lakes in open landscapes, but sometimes in open areas in forest. Often with bare banks, rocks and a hard (rocky) and/or soft (muddy) bottom, pools in stream beds. Females often found away from water perching prominently on high observation spots
  • From 0 to 2600 m above sea level, but mostly below 1700. Often seen at man made water structures.
Behaviour:
  • Hunts from exposed rocks and solid structures near water.
  • Often lowers body to gather the heat of the structure it is sitting on.
  • When water levels drop and when conditions are very hot, male may perch on twigs over drying-out pools.
  • Female rarely seen (look for them on warm flat structures near the water), but darts over a river pool to cast its eggs, and rapidly escorted by male.
Compared with other species:
  • Male colouring very diagnostic 100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2 with the large orange wing splashes 100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2  distinguish it from other Trithemis species.
  • This is an easily recognizable species due to the large orange splashes in both front and hind wings. These splashes ends about halfway from the thorax to the nodus (about one third lenght of wing)
  • Similar to Brachythemis lacustris, Red Groundling, Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018 that can occur in the same area.
  • The two are separated on abdominal shape, which has a bulbous base in B. lacustris, Red Groundling, Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018but more slender in T. kirbyi. Orange-winged Dropwin 100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2
  • The pterostigmas of B. lacustris, are bi-coloured light on the inside and dark on the outside Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018, whereas they are all brownish in T. kirbyi. 100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2
  • The orange splashes in B. lacustris are more evenly spread Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018, with no clear spaces as in T. kirbyi.100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2 The orange patch on the hind wing of T.Kirbyi does not reach the nodus but on B. lacustris it does reach the nodus.
  • Tip of abdomen in B. lacustris does not have the small black dashes as does T. kirbyi. 100 620 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male RNR GP RSA Apr 2017r 2 
  • B. lacustris has 7.5 to 8.5 Ax veins Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018 but T. kirbyi has more the 8.5 Ax veins. Brachythemis lacustris Red Groundling Male Close up Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2018
  • Females can be mistaken for several Trithemis species as well as female B. lacustris
  • Female of the Nomad Sympetrum fonscolombii 108 539 Sympetrum fonscolombii Nomad Female Somerset West WCP RSA Aug 2016very similar to T. Kirbyi

Learn More about other Dropwings, (Trithemis) Species

100 636 Trithemis aconita Halfshade dropwing Male Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2015r 4Trithemis aconita
Halfshade Dropwing

102 517 Marmoth 2016 04 13 marmoth13Trithemis annulata
Violet Dropwing

Trithemis arteriosa, Red-veined Dropwing, MaleTrithemis arteriosa,
Red-veined Dropwing

100 1085 Trithemis donaldsoni Denim Dropwing Male Vaalwater LP RSA Nov 2017r 2Trithemis donaldsoni
Denim Dropwing

100 2040 Trithemis dorsalis Highland Dropwing Male Kloofzight GP RSA Nov 2015r 4Trithemis dorsalis
Highland Dropwing

100 932 Trithemis furva Navy Dropwing Male Kloofzight GP RSA Oct 2016r 2Trithemis furva
Navy Dropwing

100 1405 Trithemis hecate Silhouette Dropwing Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Sept 2017r 4Trithemis hecate
Silhouette Dropwing

100 919 Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Male Mystic Monkeys Jan 2017r 2Trithemis kirbyi
Orange winged Dropwing

100 627 Trithemis pluvialis Russet Dropwing Nwanedi LP RSA Dec 2015 r 1Trithemis pluvialis
Russet Dropwing

100 1048 Trithemis stictica Jaunty Dropwing Male Ezemvelo Nov 2016r 2Trithemis stictica
Jaunty Dropwing

100 710 Trithemis wernerii Elegant Dropwing Ndumu July 2015r 1Trithemis wernerii
Elegant Dropwing

 

Distribution

Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Distribution Map May 2020Distribution Map
South Africa

Political Map South Africa Political Map
South Africa

Topographical Map South Africa Topographical Map South Africa

Trithemis kirbyi Orange winged Dropwing Distribution Map Africa May 2023Distribution Map
Africa

Political Map AfricaPolitical Map
Africa

Topographical Map AfricaPhysical Map
Africa 

South Africa:

  • Common in South Africa. 

Africa:

  • Algeria; Angola; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cameroon; Chad; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Gambia; Ghana; Guinee-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Libya; Malawi; Mali; Mauritania; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Senegal; Somalia; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania; Togo; Tunisia; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe;
Further reading:

Websites:

D D IDA Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
IUCNThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species      Least concern*