Tasmanian spotwing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tasmanian spotwing |
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The Tasmanian spotwing (Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides) is a type of dragonfly. You can find it in southern and north-western Tasmania, Australia. It is the only species in its group, called Synthemiopsis.
A scientist named R. J. Tillyard first described this dragonfly in 1917. He found them in swamps near Cradle Mountain and Flowerdale Creek. Tasmanian spotwings fly quickly over swamps. They often rest on tall plants like reeds. Another similar dragonfly, Synthemis tasmanica, also lives in the same areas.
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Discovering the Tasmanian Spotwing
R. J. Tillyard first wrote about the Tasmanian spotwing in 1917. He described both the adult dragonflies and their young forms, called larvae. However, it seems the larvae he described were actually from a different dragonfly species, Synthemis tasmanica.
How Scientists Found the Larvae
A researcher named Günther Theischinger went to Tasmania in 1994. He was on holiday near Mount Darwin. Even though he broke his ribs at the start of his trip, he kept looking for dragonflies!
He saw a Tasmanian spotwing dragonfly that had just come out of its larval stage. He also found some exuviae. These are the empty skins left behind when an insect sheds its outer layer. He found these from one female and several larvae.
When he got home, he looked at his findings more closely. He first thought the exuviae and larvae were from another dragonfly called Archaeosynthemis macrostigma orientalis. There was some confusion about the larvae from this group of dragonflies.
After collecting more samples in Tasmania in 1999, he finally confirmed his earlier findings. The specimens he found in 1994 were indeed the larvae of the Tasmanian spotwing.
What Does the Tasmanian Spotwing Look Like?
The Tasmanian spotwing is mostly black with bright yellow marks. Its wings are clear, and the veins in them are black. Each wing has a black patch near its base. There are also other black spots on the wings.
Adult Dragonfly Features
Most of the dragonfly's head is black. Its eyes are brown. The thorax, which is the middle part of its body, is also black. It has long, gray hairs on top. The legs are mostly black too.
The first two parts of its abdomen (the tail end) are wide. But the parts after that are narrow. The abdomen is mostly black. However, segments three through nine have yellow spots on top. Segments three through eight also have yellow spots on their sides.
An adult Tasmanian spotwing is about 43 millimeters (about 1.7 inches) long. The abdomen makes up 31 millimeters (about 1.2 inches) of that length. The front wings are about 38.5 millimeters long, and the back wings are about 37.5 millimeters long.
Larval Dragonfly Features
The larvae of the Tasmanian spotwing are brown. They are about 22 millimeters (about 0.8 inches) long. Their eyes are set apart by about 5 millimeters. The larvae's abdomen is about 14.3 millimeters long. The base of their wings measures about 1 millimeter.
The larvae's mouthparts, called the prementum, are thin. The ligula is large but not fully grown. Their setae (small bristles) are tiny compared to other similar insects. Their frontal plate, a part of their head, is also not fully developed.
The eyes stick out both upwards and to the sides. There is not much hair around their eyes. The postocular lobes, which are behind the eyes, are round and not very clear. Adult male dragonflies have short appendages near their tail. These grow during their last stage of development before becoming an adult.
Gallery
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Male
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Male
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Female Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides wings
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Male Synthemiopsis gomphomacromioides wings
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