Orange Emperor (Anax speratus)

Cover photo by Kate Braun.

Find the Orange Emperor in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.

Family Aeshnidae

Identification

Very large

Length up to 84mm; Wingspan attains 122mm.

The Orange Emperor is the second largest dragonfly in Southern Africa. Males are entirely bright orange, including the eyes and wing veins. Females are similar but have a pale greenish-orange thorax.

In South Africa, the combination of its large size and distinctive colouration renders both sexes of the Orange Emperor unmistakable.

The Orange Emperor is very similar to the Swamp Emperor (Anax bangweuluensis). The Swamp Emperor is a rare species found only in the Okavango Delta (Botswana), the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), and the Bangweulu Swamp (Zambia). The Orange Emperor is larger and frequents flowing rivers and streams. The Swamp Emperor inhabits large, tropical marshlands. The ranges of the two species are not known to overlap.

Click here for more details on identification.

Habitat

The Orange Emperor inhabits flowing rivers and streams, often in hilly or mountainous areas. It favours river stretches that are interspersed with pools or rapids, and with well vegetated banks. In South Africa, the Orange Emperor is found in the Fynbos, Grassland, Forest, and Savanna biomes. It is found from sea level to over 1700m.

Behaviour

Orange Emperors are most often seen in flight as they patrol back and forth along a chosen stretch of river. Flies low over the water, occasionally darting to tree-top height to intercept prey. When at rest, the Orange Emperor hangs vertically from a perch. It is a bold hunter and frequently preys on other dragonfly species.

The Orange Emperor is most active from October to April, but is on the wing year round at some sites. See Phenology below.

Status and Conservation

The Orange Emperor is common within its southern African range. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. As a riverine species, Anax speratus does not usually make use of man-made habitats.

Distribution

Anax speratus is widespread throughout most of Southern, central and East Africa. In South Africa it is restricted to the higher rainfall regions in the south and East. The Orange Emperor avoids the arid to semi-arid central interior.

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

Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Orange Emperor 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.

Phenology

Further Resources

The use of photographs by Kate Braun and Rowan Poortier is acknowledged. All other photographs by Ryan Tippett.

Orange Emperor Anax speratus Hagen, 1867

Other common names: Oranjekeiser (Afrikaans)

Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Orange Emperor Anax speratus. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/05/08/orange-emperor-anax-speratus/

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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