Orthetrum sabina

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Cladus: Odonatoptera
Cladus: Holodonata
Ordo: Odonata
Subordo: Epiprocta
Infraordo: Anisoptera
Superfamilia: Libelluloidea

Familia: Libellulidae
Subfamilia: Libellulinae
Genus: Orthetrum
Species: Orthetrum sabina
Subspecies: O. s. sabina
Name

Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1770)
Description

O. sabina is an Australian dragonfly species that are yellow with black markings and are possibly closely related to O. serapia with similar habitats of still or sluggish shallow often temporary waterbodies.

O. sabina ranges from eastern NSW and QLD and Cape York across north Northern Territory to the Kimberlies and through South East Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Orthetrum sabina, the slender skimmer[1] or green marsh hawk,[3] is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.[4][5] It is widespread, being found from south-eastern Europe and North Africa to Japan and south to Australia and Micronesia.[6][7]

Description and habitat

It is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85mm. Adults are grayish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings and green eyes. Its abdomen is greenish-yellow, marked with black.[8] It is very similar to Orthetrum serapia in appearance, with both species appearing in northern Australia. Pale markings on segment four of the abdomen do not extend into the posterior section when viewed from above on Orthetrum sabina. Females are similar to males in shape, color and size; differing only in sexual characteristics.[8][9] This dragonfly perches motionless on shrubs and dry twigs for long periods. It voraciously preys on smaller butterflies and dragonflies.[8][10][11][12]

See also

List of odonates of Sri Lanka
List of odonates of India
List of odonata of Kerala
List of Odonata species of Australia

References

Mitra, A. (2020). "Orthetrum sabina". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T165470A83377025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T165470A83377025.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
Drury, D. (1770). Illustrations of Natural History; wherein are exhibited upwards of two hundred and forty figures of exotic insects according to their genera. London: White. pp. 130 [114]. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.61910 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Subramanian, K. A. (2005). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Peninsular India (PDF).
"Species Orthetrum sabina (Drury, 1770)". Australian Faunal Directory. Australian Biological Resources Study. 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
Schorr, Martin; Paulson, Dennis. "World Odonata List". Slater Museum of Natural History. University of Puget Sound. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
Watson, J.A.L.; Theischinger, G.; Abbey, H.M. (1991). The Australian Dragonflies: A Guide to the Identification, Distributions and Habitats of Australian Odonata. Melbourne: CSIRO. p. 278. ISBN 0643051368.
K.A., Subramanian; K.G., Emiliyamma; R., Babu; C., Radhakrishnan; S.S., Talmale (2018). Atlas of Odonata (Insecta) of the Western Ghats, India. Zoological Survey of India. pp. 357–358. ISBN 9788181714954.
C FC Lt. Fraser (1936). The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma, Odonata Vol. III. Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London: Taylor and Francis. pp. 300–302.
Theischinger, G; Hawking, J (2006). The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia. Collingwood Vic.: CSIRO Publishing. p. 268. ISBN 978 0 64309 073 6.
C FC Lt. Fraser (1924). A Survey of the Odonate (Dragonfly) Fauna of Western India and Descriptions of Thirty New Species (PDF). p. 432.
"Orthetrum sabina Drury, 1773". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2017-02-15.
"Orthetrum sabina Drury, 1773". Odonata of India, v. 1.00. Indian Foundation for Butterflies. Retrieved 2017-02-15.