''Argiocnemis rubescens'' is a species of

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

in the family

Coenagrionidae The insect family Coenagrionidae is placed in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, making i ...

, commonly known as the red-tipped shadefly. It is a widespread species extending from India to southern China, south-east Asia, New Guinea and Australia. It prefers fresh still waters such as pools, marshes and swamps. The adult is a small to medium-sized damselfly with a length of 35 to 40mm, and the hindwing less than 22mm. When immature it is a pale reddish brown. The mature male is dark with pale green stripes on the thorax, and red on segments 8 and 9. In Australia, the distribution is in suitable habitat from

Shark Bay Shark Bay (Malgana: ''Gathaagudu'', "two waters") is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/shark-bay area is located approximately north of Perth, on the ...

in the west, across the north of the continent, to about

Point Hicks Point Hicks (formerly called Cape Everard), is a coastal headland in the East Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, located within the Croajingolong National Park. The point is marked by the Point Hicks Lighthouse that faces the Tasman Sea ...

in the south-east. The taxon has been assessed in the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

as least concern.

Etymology

The species name ''rubescens'' is a Latin word meaning ''reddish''.

Edmond de Sélys Longchamps Baron Michel Edmond de Selys Longchamps (25 May 1813 – 11 December 1900) was a Belgian Liberal Party politician and scientist. Selys Longchamps has been regarded as the founding figure of odonatology, the study of the dragonflies and damself ...

named this species of damselfly after the colour of the upper surface of its abdomen.

Gallery

file:Argiocnemis rubescens drawing 0417.svg, Illustration of wing with inset depicting the anal vein (1A) leaving the margin on the basal side of the anal crossing vein (Ac). This is a characteristic of the genus. Argiocnemis rubescens female wings (34441641400).jpg , Photo of female wings Argiocnemis rubescens male wings (34017969473).jpg , Photo of male wings

References

{{Taxonbar , from=Q2341199 Coenagrionidae Odonata of Australia Insects of Australia Taxa named by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps Insects described in 1877 Damselflies