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Eastern Pygmyfly | Nannophya dalei |
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Male Nannophya dalei
Image: 800×576, 45KB
Date & Time: 25 November 2008 18:20
Location: Bunyip State Park
Male Eastern Pygmyfly
Image: 640×480, 45KB
Date & Time: 12 November 2008 11:15
Place: Bunyip State Park
Female Nannophya dalei
Image: 480×560, 35KB
Date & Time: 12 November 2008 11:25
Place: Bunyip State Park
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These are very small dragonflies — the first time I saw them I thought they were some sort of wasp at first.
I've found them around boggy waterholes, where the aquatic vegetation is thick.
Their overall distribution ranges from Melbourne's east up to Brisbane as well as eastern parts of Tasmania.
Teneral insects are bright yellow all-over,
mature males have a black head and thorax and bright red abdomen (tail)
and mature females are yellow, orange and black (as shown in the last photo).
I observed some males (and to a lesser extent, some females) curl their tails down (as shown in the second photo).
I assume this is some form of communication but I don't know what the message might be.
There is also a very similar looking species from south-west Western Australia,
the Western Pygmyfly Nannophya occidentalis, which used to be classed as the same species as N. dalei.
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Male Nannophya dalei
Male Eastern Pygmyfly
Female Nannophya dalei