Painted Sprite (Pseudagrion hageni)

Cover photo by Ilse Hulme.

Find the Painted Sprite in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.

Family Coenagrionidae

Identification

Small to Medium sized

Length reaches 46mm; Wingspan attains 58mm.

The Painted Sprite has a distinctly elongate appearance. Males are most similar to Pseudagrion newtoni, but are far larger and the blue on the terminal segments does not extend up past segment 8. The two species also occupy very different habitats.

Females are less distinctive but can be recognised by their elongated appearance and shaded habitat.

There are two distinct sub-species in South Africa. Race tropicanum has bright yellow-green thorax sides and antehumeral stripes. Race hageni has bright orange thorax sides and antehumeral stripes.

Click here and here for more details on identification.

Habitat

The Painted Sprite is a shade-loving species. It inhabits slow-flowing parts of forested or densely wooded streams and rivers, often with a jumbled undergrowth of tall grasses, bushes, sticks, and ferns, etc. They are frequently found where the tree canopy is closed over. However, the Painted Sprite also occurs at glades and clearings within this habitat, but never far from shade. Pseudagrion hageni also inhabits in dark swamp forests along the KwaZulu-Natal coast.

The Painted Sprite requires clean water and is often found in places where the water is dark and tannin-stained. Painted sprites are intolerant of turbid, muddy water.

Behaviour

The Painted Sprite is almost always found in deep shade areas where males perch on plant stems over the water. The males are conspicuous due to their bright colouration. The females can be found in the same area as the males but often perch higher up and further away from the water. Individuals frequently hover for a few seconds close to the water before alighting on a perch.

The Painted Sprite is most active from October to April but has been recorded year round at a number of sites (See Phenology below).

Status and Conservation

Pseudagrion hageni is a common but localised species. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red list of Threatened Species. The Painted Sprite is moderately sensitive to habitat disturbance. It can be found in suitable man-made habitats and in areas with some alien plants.

Distribution

Painted Sprites are found from the Western Cape in South Africa to Kenya, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Angola. In South Africa, the Painted Sprite is widespread in the north, east and south of the Country.

Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Painted Sprite in South Africa. Taken from the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.

Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Painted Sprite in South Africa. Taken from 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.

Phenology

Further Resources

The use of photographs by Ilse Hulme is acknowledged. Other photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Painted Sprite Pseudagrion hageni Karsch, 1893

Other common names: Blanketselgesie (Afrikaans).

Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Painted Sprite Pseudagrion hageni. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/03/09/painted-sprite-pseudagrion-hageni/

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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