Neurothemis stigmatizans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Neurothemis stigmatizans
Painted grasshawk male, Cairns
Painted grasshawk female, Cairns, Australia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification

The Neurothemis stigmatizans, also known as the painted grasshawk, is a beautiful type of dragonfly found in Australia. It belongs to a family of dragonflies called Libellulidae.

Dragonflies in the Neurothemis group live in many places, all the way from India to the western Pacific Ocean. The painted grasshawk specifically lives in northern Australia. You can find them in a big arc, from the southern border of Queensland all the way to Broome, Western Australia.

What Does the Painted Grasshawk Look Like?

The painted grasshawk is a medium-sized dragonfly. Its wings can stretch about 6 to 8.5 centimeters wide.

Male Painted Grasshawks

Male painted grasshawks are quite striking! They have a reddish-brown body with a lighter stripe running down their back. Their wings have deep reddish-brown markings that go past a special spot on the wing called the nodus. You can also see paler, contrasting veins crisscrossing their wings.

Female Painted Grasshawks

Female painted grasshawks look a bit different from the males. They are usually a pale greenish-yellow color with a dark stripe down their back and another on their sides. Their wings are mostly clear, which we call hyaline. However, they have a dark smudge beyond the nodus and dark tips on their wings.

Both male and female painted grasshawks have a pink or pale-colored spot on their wings called a pterostigma (say: ter-oh-STIG-muh). It's like a little colored patch near the wingtip.

Where Do Painted Grasshawks Live?

Painted grasshawks love to hang out near calm water, like ponds or slow-moving streams. They especially like places where there's lots of grass nearby. This is why they are called "grasshawks"!

Gallery

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  Male

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  Male at rest

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  Female has a distinctive and different wing colouring

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  Male face

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  Female face

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  Juvenile male in Cairns

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  Adult male depicting prominent wing veins

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  Female wings

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  Male wings