Golden dartlet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Golden dartlet
male
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Agrion aurora Brauer, 1865 Agrion spinicauda Brauer, 1865 Ischnura bhimtalensis Sahni, 1965 Ischnura delicata Hagen, 1876 Ischnura rhodosoma Lieftinck, 1959

Ischnura aurora, golden dartlet, also known as the aurora bluetail, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.

Adults

A small apple green damselfly with black thoracic stripes and blue tipped yellow tail.

Male

Eyes: Black half moon like cap above, olive green to dark olive below, which fade to pale olive beneath. Two azure blue spots are present behind the eyes. Thorax: Shining black with two pale grass green stripes. Sides are light green and white below. Legs: Pale greenish white with vertical stripe on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Wings: Transparent. Wing spot: The wing spots are different in fore and hindwings. It is rose-red in forewings and uniform pale grey in hindwings. Abdomen: Bright reddish yellow. The second and seventh segments has upper narrow and broad black marks respectively. Only 1/3 of length of segment 8 and full length of segment 9 tergite are blue. The base color of the segment 8 tergite is melanic black.

Female

Eyes: Brown half moon like cap above, green to pale green below. Thorax: Shining black with two orange stripes. Sides are pale green. Legs: Pale white with vertical black stripes on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Abdomen: A broad black stripe runs along the upper side of abdomen. Segments 8 - 10 do not have azure blue markings.

Habitat

Found among vegetation along the banks of ponds, rivers, canals, marshes and wet rice fields.

Distribution

Distributed from Australia, Pacific Islands, East Asia and Southeast Asia. There are strong differences in DNA between the Asian forms of the species and specimens from the Pacific. The form found in Indian subcontinent and Iran is Ischnura aurora rubilio Selys, 1876 and is now considered as a different taxon, Ischnura rubilio.

Gallery

• 

  Male in Australia

• 

  Illustration of Ischnura aurora wing

• 

  Photo of female wings

• 

  Photo of male wings