Cover photo by Bertie Brink.
Find this species in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.
Family Libellulidae
Identification
Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Photo by Walter Jubber
Small Size
Length up to 39mm; Wingspan attains 68mm.
The Rock Scarlet most resembles the Little Scarlet (Crocothemis sanguinolenta). The Rock Scarlet can be told apart by lacking any amber in the wings, by its very long, red pterostigmas and by the plain brownish thorax with a red wash on top. The habitat choice of Crocothemis divisa is also diagnostic.
Click here for more details on identification.
Habitat
The Rock Scarlet inhabits rocky pools and streams in dry woodlands. The streams it frequents are typically flanked by large rock outcroppings.
Behaviour
The Rock Scarlet usually perches on the top and sides of rocks and boulders. It is generally alert and difficult to approach closely.
In South Africa, the Rock Scarlet has been recorded from September to June.
Status and Distribution
The Rock Scarlet is rare and erratic in South Africa. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Most of the localities where the Rock Scarlet has been recorded in South Africa are in protected areas.
Distribution
The Rock Scarlet is widespread through much of tropical Sub-Saharan Africa and it also occurs in Madagascar.
In South Africa, the Rock Scarlet is only known from a handful of sites on the Waterberg plateau in Limpopo and along the Blyde River on the boundary region between Mpumalanga and Limpopo. Recently the Rock Scarlet was also found to occur in the Northern Cape near the southern edge of the Kalahari (see distribution maps below).
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Rock Scarlet in the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Rock Scarlet in the OdonataMAP database as of 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 Bertie Brink and Walter Jubber is acknowledged.
Rock Scarlet Crocothemis divisa Baumann, 1898
Other common names: Divisa Scarlet (Alt. English); Rotsblosie (Afrikaans)
Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Rock Scarlet Crocothemis divisa. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/05/05/rock-scarlet-crocothemis-divisa/
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.
