The photo above (by Neels Jackson) can be viewed in OdonataMAP here.
Find this species in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.
Family Libellulidae
Trithemis annulata – VIOLET DROPWING
Identification
Small size
Length attains 38mm; Wingspan reaches 64mm.
Males are unmistakable, being brilliant violet-red with red veins in the wings. Could perhaps be confused with male Red-veined Dropwings (Trithemis arteriosa). Red-veined Dropwings often show a violet hue on the thorax, but are distinctly red in overall colouration. The two can be further differentiated by the shape, colouration and patterning of the abdomen.
Females are yellow and brown. They are distinguishable from other dropwings by the black markings on the last two abdominal segments.
Click here for more details on identification.
Near Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Ryan Tippett
Habitat
Occupies a range of freshwater habitats such as lakes, marshes, ponds, dams and rivers. Prefers still or slow moving waters. Mostly found in the warmer savanna regions.
Photo by Ryan Tippett
Behaviour
Males are very conspicuous as they perch at prominent, exposed sites over the water. They recieved the common name of ‘dropwings’ because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Females occupy the same areas as the males, but can also be found some distance from the water.
Status and Conservation
The Violet Dropwing is a common and widespread species. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A hardy and adaptable species. Readily makes use of man-made and somewhat degraded habitats.
Distribution
Trithemis annulata is found virtually throughout Africa and also occurs in the Middle East, the Arabian Peninsula and southern Europe. Widespread in South Africa. Most common in the North and East, but scattered records exist over most of the country.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Violet Dropwing in the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.
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.
