Libélula Brachythemis impartita
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Description
Length: From 25 to 34 mm.
Hindwing spam: From 20 to 26 mm.
Male: 1. Black frons and eyes. 2. Black thorax with a bit of blue sheen. 3. Thick black abdomen. 4. Large black stripe on each wing from Nodus to the area close to the pterostigma. 5. Off-white pterostigma with darker outside end.
Female: 6. The front part of the eyes is brown with thin bright and dark stripes. They are light on the lower part. 7. Straw-coloured thorax with narrow dark stripes. 8. Bright abdomen with dark lines on the back and on the sides. 9. Wings with blur dark stripes or without them.
Habitat
It mates in standing water bodies, which are clear and sunny and have little shore vegetation. It can often be found in lakes, reservoirs, artificial ponds, big pools, wide river and stream pools on the lower courses, gravel pits and flooded quarries.
Way of life
They fly low, often following mammals, or, even, humans. They can move dozens of metres like this, as it seems to help them catch their prey. This species, above all females, frequently rest on the ground, where they are difficult to be noticed. It is less common to see them resting on plants, but they can be seen on timber and dry branches which are in water or on the shore. Their position is horizontal and they hold their wings spread out in the shape of a cross.
When to see this species
In Málaga, it flies from June to September, but it can occasionally be seen in April, May, October and November.
Where to see this species
It is confined to specific location but it can be seen all over the province. It has been recorded on stages 18 and 19 of the Great Málaga Path, which go past lakes Fuente de Piedra and Campillos. Both colonies depend on the presence of water in this kind of lakes. It is likely to be found on other stages too, especially on those that go round reservoirs, like stages 19, 20 and 21.
Similar species
The female can be confused above all with Selysiothemis nigra.
Conservation status
The species is not endangered nor is it particularly protected by the current environmental law.
Routes where it can be observed
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 18. Fuente de Piedra - Campillos
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 19. Campillos - Embalses del Guadalhorce
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 20. Embalses del Guadalhorce - Estación de El Chorro (Álora)
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 21. Estación de El Chorro (Álora) - Carratraca - Ardales