''Pinheyschna subpupillata'', the stream hawker, is a species of

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

in the family

Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its o ...

Distribution

This hawker is endemic to southern Africa; it is common in much of southern and eastern South Africa, and is also found in parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

Habitat

Its natural habitats include fast-flowing streams and rivers in montane and upland settings. Rivers and streams with densely vegetated banks (both grassy and bushy) are preferred.

Description

A large dragonfly (length 61–64 mm; wingspan 87–91 mm). The eyes are green and the face deep yellow to greenish yellow; the upper frons has a central black spot within a yellow ring. The thorax is brown with green stripes, and the abdomen green with brown markings. The wings are slightly smoky with brown and yellow veins and reddish-brown to yellow-brown

pterostigma The pterostigma (plural: pterostigmata) is a group of specialized cells in the outer insect wing, wings of insects, which are often thickened or coloured, and thus stand out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonfly, dragonfli ...

ta.

Similar species

''Pinheyschna subpupillata'' is similar to ''

Zosteraeschna minuscula ''Zosteraeschna minuscula'', the friendly hawker is a species of dragonfly in family Aeshnidae. It is found in South Africa and Namibia. Its natural habitats include ponds and still pools in montane streams. This is a fairly large species; 59–6 ...

'' and ''

Zosteraeschna usambarica ''Zosteraeschna'' is the scientific name of a genus of dragonflies from the family Aeshnidae The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North Ame ...

'', but the latter species have browner abdomens, and long green dorsal stripes on the thorax. The black marking on the upper frons of ''

'' is shaped like an anchor, and that of ''

'' like a pentagon, rather than the rounded spot of the stream hawker. ''Pinheyschna subpupillata'' males also differ in having secondary gentilia that project conspicuously from the second segment of the abdomen (S2), and lack the blue saddle (also S2) of '' Zosteraeschna'' males. P subpupillata AManson 007331-2.jpg, Male in flight P subpupillata AManson 003468-1.jpg, Male perched Pinheyschna_subpupillata_2016_01_19.jpg, Male P subpupillata AManson 2014 02 27 6450.jpg, Male face P subpupillata AManson 012440-1.jpg, Female P subpupillata AManson 002185-1.jpg, Female ovipositing P subpupillata AManson 002185-3.jpg, Female ovipositing P subpupillata AManson 004523-1.jpg, Female ovipositing

References

Aeshnidae Insects described in 1896 Taxa named by Robert McLachlan (entomologist) {{Aeshnidae-stub