Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii)
Species
Black Percher (Diplacodes lefebvrii). Male. Taken in Extremadura, Spain, on November 15th 2018.
Male. Taken in Extremadura, Spain, on November 15th 2018.
(1/500th sec at f13. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)

Description

Wingspan: 34 - 58 mm; Body length: 25 - 34 mm

A small dragonfly. The males become all-black, including the appendages. Females and immature males are straw-coloured. The wingtips are rounded, and the pterostigma are large and brownish.

Common throughout Africa, it is also found around Mediterranean coasts, and further inland in Iberia.

Its habitat is open marshes, and on the grassy or swampy edges of pools and lakes.

Adults are probably on the wing all year in the Sahara, but from April to November in the Mediterranean basin.

Males perch among marsh vegetation and and are quite aggressive.

It is regarded as being of Least Concern by the IUCN.

Sightings

15-Nov-2018 : Extremadura, Spain (1)