''Tetrathemis platyptera'', the pigmy skimmer, 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

Libellulidae The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Ev ...

. It is widespread in many Asian countries and locally common over much of its range.

Description and habitat

It is a small dragonfly with yellow face and bluish green eyes. Its thorax and abdomen are yellow with broad black marks. Its wings are transparent, with fore-wings faintly and hind-wings broadly tinted with yellow at the bases. Females are similar to males. It breeds in vegetated ponds and wells. The female stabs her eggs onto dry twigs hanging over water. The eggs hatch out in rains and the

naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

s fall directly into the water below. File:Tetrathemis platyptera female at Kadavoor.jpg, Female File:Tetrathemis platyptera mating at Kadavoor.jpg, Mating File:Tetrathemis platyptera female in Kadavoor.jpg, Laying eggs on a hanging wire over the pool

References

External links

* * Libellulidae Insects described in 1878 {{dragonfly-stub

Description and habitat

See also

References

External links