Eastern Forestwatcher, Notiothemis jonesi, Boswagter

100 3266 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Songimvelo Nature Reserve MP RSA Febr 2019r 5 Male

100 3266 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Songimvelo Nature Reserve MP RSA Febr 2019r 5Male

105 529 N jonesi Vernon Crookes NR 2016 03 27 12 24 26 0902Female.

Short description:

Eastern Forestwatcher, Notiothemis jonesi, Boswagter is small, alert, greyish, grizzled, with whitish splash near tip of abdomen, bright turquoise eyes.

Family Libellulidae Leach, 1815

Also known as Eastern Elf

 More images:

N jonesi Vernon Crookes NR 2016 03 27 Image Gallery

100 2411 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 3Male

105 530 N jonesi Queen Elizabeth Park Pmb 2015 04 18 13 21 22 1274Male

 
 
 

Click on all images to enlarge or view more

Key identification features:

Male:

  • Face and labrum cream and light blue. Anteclypeus grey distinctly bat-like shaped, postclypeus greyish cream. Frons light blue in front, with grey and yellow blotches on sides, top of frons adjacent to top of head deeply grooved, groove blackish inside with frons bright metallic bluish green at edges. Head bright metallic bluish green above. 100 2413 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 9 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019
  • Eyes striking bright turquoise, grayish below. Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019
  • Thorax striped dark blue/black and turquoise above becoming  yellowish turquoise at the lower margins.100 2412 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 5  Area between wings dark blue/black with turquoise spots. Wing base brown. Dorsal thorax distinct dark blue/black and turquoise mask-like pattern 100 2413 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 9(Batman Mask) 
  • Wings clear to slightly smoky with very small dark brown splash at base of each hindwing. 100 2417 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 32 Tips darker amber Discodial cell shaped like a equilateral triangle (Diagnostic for male and female). Pterostigmas dark reddish brown, 2 mm long in forewing, 2.4 mm long in hindwing.  100 2419 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 28
  • Abdomen slender, slightly bulbous at end, blackish with variable grayish blue or turquoise patches on the lateral side and dots at the segment front margin.100 2416 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 21 100 2418 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 24Segment 7 has conspicuous light turquoise ring with black stripe on dorsal carina and 2 indentations on the dorsal side hind margin.  .100 2416 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 21 100 2418 Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Male Close up Songimvelo MPRSAFebr 2019r 24

Female:

  • Strong patterned light yellowish, light reddish and dark brown thorax and abdomen with dorsal cream patch on S7, although not as conspicuous as in male. Patterns resembles male patterns
  • Eyes light grey blue.
Distribution and habitat:


Standing and often temporary waters, but possibly also streams, shaded by (sometimes gallery) forest. Often pools in
stream beds, usually with coarse detritus and often a soft (like muddy) bottom, and probably also overhanging branches
From 300 to 2300 m above sea level, but mostly between 500 and 1600.

Behaviour:
  • Very alert. Perches conspicuously on reeds or twigs over water in dappled shade. Female very rarely seen.
Compared with other species:
  • Unmistakable, with its small size, grizzled grey colour, bright turquoise eyes, and distinctive turquoise splash on S7.
Distribution:
Notiothemis jonesi Eastern Forestwatcher Distribution Map June 2020 Distribution Map
Political Map South Africa Political Map
Topographical Map South Africa Topographical Map
Notiothemis jonesi
Political Map AfricaCountries
Topographical Map AfricaTopographical Map

Male:

  • Found in Mozambique, South Africa coastal areas and Mpumalange and Limpopo lowveld, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Male:

  •  Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Republic of South Africa; Rwanda; Tanzania; Uganda; Zimbabwe
Further reading:

Websites:
VM OdonataMAP logo 108x90 RGB trOdonata Atlas of Africa Number 667730
D D IDA Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
IUCNThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Least Concern 
addoAfrican Dragonflies & Damselflies Online