Highland Skimmer      Orthetrum machadoi      Hooglandskepper

100 2120 r Male2 Haenertsburg LP RSA Dec 2015
100 2117 r Male Hertzogberg MP RSA Nov 2017
Female Ezimvelo Nov 2016
Family Libellulidae Leach, 1815
Short description:

Highland Skimmer, Orthetrum machadoi, Hooglandskepper is medium sized, fairly robust and all pruinescent blue.

More images:

r Male1 Haenertsburg LP RSA Dec 2015Image
Gallery 

Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Young Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2019Male
Fresh

Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018Male
Young

Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019Male
Mature

Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 Female

Female Close up Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019Female
Mature 

100 3111 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Old Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA Nov 2017r 3Female
Old

 

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Key identification features:

Male:

  • Length 37-41 -44mm, wingspan 53-61-66mm, pterostigmas 3.4–3.6 mm
  • Face light greyish blue. Labium greyish cream with or without dark median band. Anteclypeus and postclypeus light grey. Frons light to mid grey, with hint of being spectacled, Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 18 also with diffused dark area where frons meets eyes.  Head dimpled above, shiny black with low peaks and no groove.
  • Eyes dull turquoise. Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 18
  • Lateral thorax without clearly defined markings (like the female)  when young, becoming mottled blue brown to pruinesant grey with age Thorax fairly deep pruinescent blue, sometimes with lighter pruinescence making up a side stripe, in most individuals the blue is more or less even across the thorax although a lighter area forms a diffuse stripe along top between wings. Slight darker blue  Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018  Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 
  • Wings clear to slightly smoky. Little (almost a hint) amber at wing base, The costa and antenodal crossveins (ax) are yellowish. 100 2318 Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 31 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 Pterostigmas long bright yellowish brown with dark anterior margin, of moderate length
  • Abdomen fairly slender, pale pruinescent blue. Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 100 2318 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 31Secondary genitalia has no hair.
  • Sketch of Male Secondary Genitalia 

Female:

  • Young Males 100 2123 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Young Hertzogberg MP RSA Nov 2017r 3 and female 100 2128 r Female Ezimvelo Nov 2016r 2 similar in colours and markings 
  • All light yellowish to greenish brown.  Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 100 2128 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Ezimvelo Nov 2016r 2 
  • Face light brown Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 Frons spectacled shaped without the outline of the spectacle as in the male
  • Eyes grown on to becoming light brown belowOrthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018 100 2302 Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 5
  • Thorax fairly deep pruinescent blue when old Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019  Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019  When young yellow with faint brown 100 2302 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 5striped that darkens to brown Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Young Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2019 before it pruinose to blue/grey Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvelo NR GP RSA Oct 2019. Sometimes with lighter mottled pruinescence making up a side stripe, in most individuals the blue becomes more or less even across the thorax Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019. A lighter area forms a diffuse stripe along top between wings The dorsal thorax uniformly brown with darker small spots with a narrow darker brown shoulder stripe visible when young100 2304 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 8, this brown mark may pruinose to a darker blue than the surrounding area The dorsal thorax pruinose to a dark blue becoming dark grey with ageOrthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Ezemvero NR GP RSA Oct 2019.   
  • Wings slightly smoky with a hint of amber at the basal edge.Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018
  • Abdomen yellowish brown when young becoming grey/blue . Fine dark stripe running along length of top 100 2307 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 15 .Dark brown side stripe.100 2306 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 14. Small yellow dark rimmed foliations present on segment 8. 100 2307 Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo GP RSA Nov 2018r 15
Habitat:
  • Marshy grassland, shallow grassy swamps and grassy, flooded margins of rivers.
  • From 0 to 1900 m above sea level, but mostly between 900 and 1800.
Behaviour:
  • Perches on grasses and sedge, darting out, then returning to perch.
Compared with other species:
  • The smaller O. hintzi (Little Skimmer) Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Old Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Jan 2016 and the much larger O. julia (Julia Skimmer) Orthetrum julia falsum Julia Skimmer Male Mystic Monkeys Jan 2017 (which has black pterostigmas) and the more slender, distinctly spectacled O. icteromelas (Spectacled Skimmer). are all-blue Orthetrum species
  • O. machadoi does have but not have the sharply defined spectacles of O. icteromelas (Spectacled Skimmer) Orthetrum icteromelas Spectacled Skimmer Male Hertzogberg MP RSA Nov 2017 or lesser defined spectacles of O. abbotti. (Little Skimmer)Orthetrum abbotti Little Skimmer Male1 Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016
  • Apart from size and a slight difference in habitat preference, it is extremely difficult to distinguish O. hintzi Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Old Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Jan 2016  and O. machadoi, Orthetrum machadoi Highland Skimmer Male Hertzogberg MP RSA Nov 2017r 4 the differences being mainly in the colour of the top of the frons, (it is dark grey to blackish in O. hintzi but mostly light grey in O. machadoi ) and the shape of the secondary genitalia hamules.
Distribution
Distribution Map June 2020 Map

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

South Africa:

  • Common in GP, LP, MP and KZN with records few from NWP (probably due to lack of observers) ECP and WCP (very uncommon) 

Africa:

  • Angola; Botswana; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Egypt; Ethiopia; Kenya; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; Republic of South Africa; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe 
Further reading:

Websites: