''Agriocnemis pinheyi'' is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

, and possibly

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Habitat

Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s include standing waters in open highlands (often grasslands), usually with emergent grasses; often boggy.

Description and identification

The patterns of colour on the thorax and abdomen of the wisps are striking, but are seldom useful for identification as they are similar in many of the species and they vary considerably with age. The following can be useful: * Postocular spots of ''A. pinheyi'' these are oval and intermediate in size between the smaller ones of ''A. exilis'', and the larger ones of ''A. gratiosa''; they are not elongated towards the centre of head (as in ''A. falcifera''). * The lower frons (antefrons) of ''A. pinheyi'' forms a light green moustache that runs from eye to eye; in ''A. gratiosa'', this "moustache" is always broken by black in the centre of the face (and is usually broken in ''A. exilis''). In South Africa, this moustache is pruinose only in mature males of ''A. falcifera''. * Labrum of ''A. pinheyi'' is glossy black with a pale (generally bright green) border, rather than all black with a purple sheen (''A. falcifera''). * Hindlobe of prothorax: incised at two sides, separating fan-like middle section (''A. pinheyi'', ''A. falcifera'', ''A. ruberrima''); in ''A. exilis'' the hind margin of prothorax is a simple, entire curve - not incised. * Green thoracic stripe of ''A. pinheyi'' is narrow (wider in ''A. gratiosa''). * Pterostigmata of ''A. pinheyi'' are similar in all wings, rather than being darker in the hindwing than in the forewing (''A. falcifera''). * Apex of S10: This is only slightly raised in ''A. pinheyi''; ''A. ruberrima'' has S10 apex distinctly raised. * Cerci: Those of ''A. pinheyi'' and ''A. falcifera'' have a sharp triangular pointed end that is directed inwards towards S10; the tips of the cerci of ''A. gratiosa'' point outwards from S10. * Paraprocts (lower appendages) of ''A. pinheyi'' and ''A. falcifera'' are almost as long as the cerci, tapering to a pointed apex in lateral view, but in caudal view (from below) ending broadly, so visible as black ridge that is wider than high; paraprocts of ''A. gratiosa'' are longer than the cerci. * Length: ''A. pinheyi'' is smaller (20 mm long) than ''A. gratiosa'' (25 mm) and ''A. falcifera'' (24–25 mm) - similar in size to ''A. exilis'' (18–22 mm).

References

External links

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''Agriocnemis pinheyi''
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African Dragonflies and Damselflies Online
Coenagrionidae Insects described in 1963 Taxa named by Boris Balinsky Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Coenagrionidae-stub