Barbet Percher, Diplacodes luminans, Baardmanetjie

Male Roodeplaat N R Dec 2016 r 11Male
100 763 Marloth Park Sept 2016r 1Male
100 922 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo Kgomo Female NWP RSA Febr 2017r 1

Short description:

Barbet Percher, Diplacodes luminans, Baardmanetjie is small to medium sized, with red to orange-red face, red yellow and black stripy thorax, well defined yellow and black abdomen and orange patches at bases of wings.

Family Libellulidae Leach, 1815

Also known as Luminous Percher 

More images:

Male Roodeplaat N R Dec 2016Image Gallery
100 2004 Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017r 3Male
100 3611 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Female Close up Roodeplaat KZN RSA Jan 2021r 2Female
100 2599 diplacodes luminans barbet percher female close up rnr rsa feb 2020r 2Female
 
 

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Key identification features for Barbet Percher, Diplacodes luminans:

Males: 100 2004 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017r 3

  • Face is an orange/red Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017 100 2005 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017r 5
  • Eyes dark red above and grey below. 
  • Thorax is bright red above, tending to greyish at side, and with  pale yellow/red mottled diagonal side stripe and black lines.Dorsal thorax uniformly red 100 2005 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017r 5 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017 
  • Wings have orange splashes at the base with the hind wing splash the larger. Pterostigmas are yellowish with dark brown centers
  • S1-3 on the abdomen is bright red with some thin stripes. S4 begins red becoming yellow with strong black markings S5-8 is yellow with black markings. S 9-10 is black. Cerci is yellow. Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017 100 2010 Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Kgomo kgomo LP RSA Dec 2017r 15

Females:

  • Dull greyish green to yellowish brown.
  • Eyes are light brown on top and speckled grey below.
  • Face is light yellow.
  • Front wings has slight amber patch at the wing root
  • Wings and abdomen markings are similar to the male.
Habitat:
  • Frequents still water shallow pans, seasonal pools, flood plains and marshes with lilies and an abundance of tall grasses, sedge and reeds, in open landscapes, but sometimes shaded by gallery forest.
  • From 0 to 2100 m above sea level, but mostly below 1600, although possibly up to 2400.
Behaviour:
  • Perches very conspicuously on tips of sedge or reeds in open water.
Compared with other species:
  • The colouration and patterns makes this an easy to identify species.
Diplacodes luminans BarbetPercher Distribution Map June 2020 MapDistribution Map
South Africa
Physical Map South Africa Physical Map
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Political Map South Africa Political Map
South Africa
Diplacodes luminans Barbet Percher Distribution Map AfricaDistribution Map
Africa
Topographical Map Africa
Political Map AfricaPolitical Map
Africa

 

South Africa:

  • Well populated across all southern South Africa and Africa South of the Sahara

Africa:

  • Angola; Benin; Botswana; Côte d'Ivoire; Cameroon; Chad; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinee-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of South Africa; Rwanda; Sierra Leone; Somalia; Tanzania; Togo; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe;
Further reading for Barbet Percher, Diplacodes luminans:

Websites

VM OdonataMAP logo 108x90 RGB trOdonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 669120
addoAfrican Dragonflies and Damselflies Online
D D IDA Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
IUCNThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN Leasrt Concern