Jaunty Dropwing (Trithemis stictica)

Cover photo by Gerhard Diedericks.

Find this species in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.

Family Libellulidae

Identification

Small size

Length up to 38mm; Wingspan reaches 66mm.

Male Jaunty Dropwings are distinctive and unmistakable within South Africa. The combination of pale blue thorax, Greenish-blue eyes, and striking yellow and black abdomen is diagnostic. There are other very similar species further north in Africa, notably the Marsh Dropwing Trithemis palustris.

Females can be easily confused with those of other dropwing species, especially the Navy Dropwing (Trithemis furva). Elegant Dropwing females can be told by the thick, un-smudged black markings on the sides of the thorax and the bold black and yellow abdomen pattern.

Click here for more details on identification.

Habitat

The Jaunty Dropwing frequents the vegetated margins of still water environments, such as marshes, pans, dams, and the quiet pools and backwaters of rivers and streams. It is seldom found at running water. Jaunty Dropwings prefer areas rich in vegetation, like sedges, reeds, and emergent grass.

Behaviour

The Jaunty Dropwing likes to sit in exposed, sunny positions. During the heat of the day, they can often be seen in the ‘obelisk’ position, pointing their abdomens at the sun to reduce the amount of direct sunlight on their bodies. Jaunty Dropwings are perch hunters and spend as much time perched as they do darting off to intercept prey, or to chase off a rival.

Status and Conservation

Trithemis stictica is a common and widespread species. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Jaunty Dropwing is reasonably tolerant of habitat degradation and is commonly found at suitable man-made water bodies.

Distribution

The Jaunty Dropwing has a wide distribution throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa and is also found on Madagascar. It is widespread in South Africa but avoids the arid and semi-arid central and western parts of the country.

Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Jaunty Dropwing in the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.

Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Jaunty Dropwing in the OdonataMAP database as at December 2024.

The next map below is an imputed map, produced by an interpolation algorithm, which attempts to generate a full distribution map from the partial information in the map above. This map will be improved by the submission of records to the OdonataMAP section of the Virtual Museum.

Ultimately, we will produce a series of maps for all the odonata species in the region. The current algorithm is a new algorithm. The objective is mainly to produce “smoothed” maps that could go into a field guide for odonata. This basic version of the algorithm (as mapped above) does not make use of “explanatory variables” (e.g. altitude, terrain roughness, presence of freshwater — we will be producing maps that take these variables into account soon). Currently, it only makes use of the OdonataMAP records for the species being mapped, as well as all the other records of all other species. The basic maps are “optimistic” and will generally show ranges to be larger than what they probably are.

These maps use the data in the OdonataMAP section of the Virtual Museum, and also the database assembled by the previous JRS funded project, which was led by Professor Michael Samways and Dr KD Dijkstra.

Further Resources

The use of photographs by Desire Darling and Gerhard Diedericks is acknowledged.

Jaunty Dropwing Trithemis stictica (Burmeister, 1839)

Other common names: Vrolike Valvlerkie (Afrikaans)

Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Jaunty Dropwing Trithemis stictica. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/02/26/jaunty-dropwing-trithemis-stictica/

References: Tarboton, M; Tarboton, W. (2019). A Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of South Africa. Struik Nature.

Samways, MJ. (2008). Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa. Pensoft

Samways, MJ. (2016). Manual of Freshwater Assessment for South Africa: Dragonfly Biotic Index. Suricata 2. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria

Martens, A; Suhling, F. (2007). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Namibia. Gamsberg Macmillan.

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