''Rhyothemis princeps'', known as the sapphire flutterer, 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 ...

of the family

Libellulidae The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily M ...

. The flight of the genus ''

Rhyothemis ''Rhyothemis'' is a genus of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae The chasers, darters, skimmers, and perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest family of dragonflies. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae ...

'' is usually fluttering, leading to the common description of "flutterer" for most species in the genus. ''Rhyothemis princeps'' is found in Australia and

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

only. It is a medium-sized dragonfly (wingspan 70mm, length 40mm) that inhabits a variety of freshwater lakes, ponds, and swamps. It has a dark blue to black abdomen, and its wings are dark, with two or three pale patches on the outer section. Males have dark patches extending to their wingtips, whereas females have clear wingtips. In sunlight the dark colours can reflect a metallic purplish tinge. In Australia its range is limited to north-eastern Queensland from

Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...

to around

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite. The Scottish- ...

. Rhyothemis princeps - Sapphire Flutterer 1.jpg, Male side view Sapphire Flutterer (Rhyothemis princeps) (29564129526).jpg, Male viewed from above Sapphire flutterer (Rhyothemis princeps) male Cattana.jpg, Male, Cattana Wetlands Rhyothemis princeps female wings (34252012483).jpg, Female wings Rhyothemis princeps male wings (34252015673).jpg, Male wings

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3093338 Libellulidae Odonata of Australia Odonata of Asia Insects of New Guinea Taxa named by William Forsell Kirby Insects described in 1894

See also

References