148. Orange-winged Dropwing – Trithemis kirbyi – European Dragonfly photo

The Orange-winged Drowing ( Trithemis kirbyi ) is a spectacular dragonfly. Finding this species in Andalucia in 2012 and seeing that it wasn’t shown in ‘The Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe’ I became excited, only to learn that it had first been seen there the year after the book was published ! 

Its English name is well chosen with the orange in the wings reflecting through onto the stream side boulders which is the principal habitat for this species.

 KEY I/D FEATURES

 Males are very noticeable with the large deep yellow patches at the base of the wings. The abdomen is all red with a small black mark on Segment 9. At close quarters the frons can be seen to have a deep groove and the pterostigma is short and black. The median black line running along the underside of the abdomen is not shown in the Field guide.

 Females have dark yellow abdomens with a series of black dashes on either side of Segments 6-9. The yellow in the wings extends less than that on the male and can be broken into separate patches.