''Petalura gigantea'', the giant dragonfly
or south-eastern petaltail,
is a species of
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...
in the family
Petaluridae
The petaltails of the family Petaluridae are among the most ancient of the extant true dragonfly, dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera), having fossil members from as early as the Jurassic, over 150 million years ago. A 2024 molecular phylogeny fou ...
from southeastern Australia.
Males have body length of and a wingspan up to , while females have body length of and a wingspan up to . This makes it a very large species of dragonfly, although it is exceeded by a few other species, including the closely related northeast Australian
giant petaltail (''P. ingentissima'').
The giant dragonfly occurs along the east coast of
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, ranging from the northern part of the state to the
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literatur ...
border region, and is not found west of the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
. There are known occurrences in the
Blue Mountains and
Southern Highlands, in the
Clarence River catchment, and on a few coastal swamps from north of
Grafton to
Nadgee in the south.
The giant dragonfly is listed as endangered under the New South Wales Threatened Species Conservation Act. This listing was transferred to the equivalent schedules under the
Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (NSW)
The ''Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016'' (''BC Act'') is a state-based act of parliament in New South Wales (NSW). Its long title is ''An Act relating to the conservation of biodiversity; and to repeal the Threatened Species Conservation Act ...
from August 2017.
The giant dragonfly is unusual not only in size, but also in having predominantly terrestrial habits at the larval stage. It usually rests in sedges or shrubs while in mating and this usually occurs within a wetland area or an ecosystem based on
peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...
(the accumulation of decayed vegetation or organic matter).
[International Journal of Odonatology, 2014. Vol. 17, No. 4, 223–236, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2014.979333]
Gallery
Petalura gigantea female wings (34921024531).jpg, Female wings
Petalura gigantea male wings (34921030661).jpg, Male wings
The biology of dragonflies (Odonata or Paraneuroptera) (1917) (19761393983).jpg, Last stages of metamorphosis
See also
*
List of Odonata species of Australia
This is a list of species of damselflies and dragonflies recorded in Australia.
Common names of species are linked, beside their scientific names.
The list is split into two groups: damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) and other dragonflies (infra ...
References
External links
Giant Dragonfly - WingecarribbeeSouth-eastern Petaltail at Faunanet
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2086847
Petaluridae
Odonata of Australia
Insects of Australia
Endemic fauna of Australia
Taxa named by William Elford Leach
Insects described in 1815