Crocothemis
Encyclopedia
Crocothemis is a genus
of dragonflies
in the Libellulidae
family, subfamily Sympetrinae (Darters). Various species of this genus occur in southern Europe
, Africa
, Asia
, Australia
and the Southwest Pacific. They are generally small to medium sized dragonflies.
These dragonflies are often noticed due to their colours. Males are generally very brightly coloured, ranging from totally red in several species, to the rich blue of Australia's C. nigrifrons
. As with many Libellulid species, the females tend to be dull brown or orange.
Like most Libellulids they tend to perch on sticks, reeds or stones near water, flying out to catch insects then returning to their perch.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
in the Libellulidae
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. Even if these are excluded , there still remains a...
family, subfamily Sympetrinae (Darters). Various species of this genus occur in southern Europe
Southern Europe
The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and the Southwest Pacific. They are generally small to medium sized dragonflies.
These dragonflies are often noticed due to their colours. Males are generally very brightly coloured, ranging from totally red in several species, to the rich blue of Australia's C. nigrifrons
Crocothemis nigrifrons
The Black-headed Skimmer or Blue Scarlet Dragonfly, Crocothemis nigrifrons, is a species of dragonfly of the widespread genus Crocothemis. It is found in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands....
. As with many Libellulid species, the females tend to be dull brown or orange.
Like most Libellulids they tend to perch on sticks, reeds or stones near water, flying out to catch insects then returning to their perch.
Species
The genus contains the following species:- Crocothemis brevistigma
- Crocothemis corocea
- Crocothemis divisaCrocothemis divisaCrocothemis divisa is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique,...
- Divisa Scarlet, Slender Scarlet, Slender Scarlet-darter - Crocothemis erythraea - Scarlet Darter, Broad Scarlet
- Crocothemis misrai
- Crocothemis nigrifronsCrocothemis nigrifronsThe Black-headed Skimmer or Blue Scarlet Dragonfly, Crocothemis nigrifrons, is a species of dragonfly of the widespread genus Crocothemis. It is found in Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands....
- Black-headed Skimmer - Crocothemis sanguinolentaCrocothemis sanguinolentaCrocothemis sanguinolenta is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia,...
- Little Scarlet, Slim Scarlet-darter, Small Scarlet - Crocothemis saxicolorCrocothemis saxicolorCrocothemis saxicolor is a species of dragonfly in family Libellulidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, possibly Liberia, and possibly Sierra Leone. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or...
- Granite Scarlet - Crocothemis servilia - Scarlet Skimmer, Oriental Scarlet
- Crocothemis striata