kids encyclopedia robot

Common glider facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Common glider
Tramea loewii - Darwin.jpg
Male in Darwin, Australia
Male Common Glider shoulder (17276053605).jpg
Female
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Tramea loewii distribution map.svg
Synonyms

Tramea tillyardi (Lieftinck, 1942)

The common glider (Tramea loewii) is a type of dragonfly. It belongs to the Libellulidae family, which is a group of dragonflies often called "skimmers." You can find this dragonfly in many places around the world, including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Maluku Islands, Lesser Sunda Islands, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Australia, and the western Pacific. Since 2005, common gliders have also been seen in New Zealand.

What Does It Look Like?

The common glider is a medium to large dragonfly. Its wings can spread up to 85 millimeters (about 3.3 inches) wide, and its body is about 45 millimeters (about 1.8 inches) long.

The middle part of its body, called the synthorax, has stripes. These stripes are yellowish to brown on a purplish background.

  • Males: Male common gliders have a bright red body (abdomen). The last two parts of their abdomen have black marks. They also have red patches at the base of their back wings.
  • Females: Female common gliders are a dull brown color. They have brown patches at the base of their back wings.

The common glider looks a lot like another dragonfly called the Tramea stenoloba. However, the narrow-lobed glider has a darker synthorax.

Where Does It Live?

Common gliders live in many different kinds of still water. This includes ponds and swamps. They can lay eggs and have new generations many times throughout the year. In Australia, you can find them almost everywhere, except for the very far southwest part of the continent.

Gallery

  • Common Glider Dragonfly. Tramea loewii (Trapezostigma loewii). LIBELLULIDAE - Flickr - gailhampshire (3)

    Male common glider has a red abdomen with black markings near the tip

  • Female Common Glider flank (17068671967)

    Female common glider has a brown abdomen with black markings near the tip

  • Tramea loewii - Common Glider

    Male viewed from the side

  • Male Common Glider lateral (17274274202)

    Female viewed from the side

  • Tramea face 2

    Male face

  • Male Common Glider face (17068781047)

    Female face

  • Tramea loewii wings 1216

    Illustration of male Tramea wing venation

  • Tramea loewii female wings (34219442984)

    Photo of female wings

  • Australian insects (Plate VIII) (7268226282)

    1. Tramea loewii from

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Common glider Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.