Golden dartlet | |
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male | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Odonata |
Suborder: | Zygoptera |
Family: | Coenagrionidae |
Genus: | Ischnura |
Species: | I. aurora
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Binomial name | |
Ischnura aurora | |
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Synonyms | |
Ischnura aurora,[1][6] the gossamer damselfy or golden dartlet and also known as the aurora bluetail,[7] is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.[1][8]
A small apple green damselfly with black thoracic stripes and blue tipped yellow tail.[1]
Male
Eyes: Black half moon-like cap above, olive green to dark olive below, which fades to pale olive beneath. Two azure blue spots are present behind the eyes. Thorax: Shining black with two pale grass green stripes; sides are light green and white below. Legs: Pale greenish white with a vertical stripe on the femur, just above the femur - tibia joint. Wings: Transparent. Wing spots: The wing spots are different in fore and hindwings, being rose-red on the forewings and uniform pale grey on the hindwings. Abdomen: Bright reddish yellow. The upper parts of the second and seventh segments have narrow and broad black marks, respectively.[1] A third of the length of the eighth segment and the full length of the ninth segment are blue. The base color of the eighth segment tergite is melanic black.[9]
Female
Eyes: Brown half moon-like cap above, green to pale green below. Thorax: Shining black with two orange stripes; sides are pale green. Legs: Pale white with vertical black stripes on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Abdomen: A broad black stripe runs along the upper side of abdomen. The eight to tenth segments do not have azure blue markings.[1]
Found among vegetation along the banks of ponds, rivers, canals, marshes and wet rice fields.[1]
It is found across Australia, the Pacific Islands, East Asia and Southeast Asia.[1] There are strong differences in DNA between the Asian forms of the species and specimens from the Pacific.[1] The form found on the Indian subcontinent and in Iran is Ischnura aurora rubilio (Selys, 1876[4]) and is now considered a different taxon, Ischnura rubilio.[10]