Ischnura aurora

Ischnura aurora,^[1][6] the gossamer damselfy or golden dartlet and also known as the aurora bluetail,^[7] is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.^[1][8]

Golden dartlet
male
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Coenagrionidae
Genus:	Ischnura
Species:	I. aurora
Binomial name
Ischnura aurora (Brauer, 1865)[2]
Synonyms
Agrion aurora Brauer, 1865[2] Agrion spinicauda Brauer, 1865[2] Ischnura bhimtalensis Sahni, 1965[3] Ischnura delicata Hagen, 1876[4]: 284  Ischnura rhodosoma Lieftinck, 1959[5]

Adults

A small apple green damselfly with black thoracic stripes and blue tipped yellow tail.^[1]

Male

Eyes: Black half moon-like cap above, olive green to dark olive below, which fades to pale olive beneath. Two azure blue spots are present behind the eyes. Thorax: Shining black with two pale grass green stripes; sides are light green and white below. Legs: Pale greenish white with a vertical stripe on the femur, just above the femur - tibia joint. Wings: Transparent. Wing spots: The wing spots are different in fore and hindwings, being rose-red on the forewings and uniform pale grey on the hindwings. Abdomen: Bright reddish yellow. The upper parts of the second and seventh segments have narrow and broad black marks, respectively.^[1] A third of the length of the eighth segment and the full length of the ninth segment are blue. The base color of the eighth segment tergite is melanic black.^[9]

Female

Eyes: Brown half moon-like cap above, green to pale green below. Thorax: Shining black with two orange stripes; sides are pale green. Legs: Pale white with vertical black stripes on femur, just above femur - tibia joint. Abdomen: A broad black stripe runs along the upper side of abdomen. The eight to tenth segments do not have azure blue markings.^[1]

Habitat

Found among vegetation along the banks of ponds, rivers, canals, marshes and wet rice fields.^[1]

Distribution

It is found across Australia, the Pacific Islands, East Asia and Southeast Asia.^[1] There are strong differences in DNA between the Asian forms of the species and specimens from the Pacific.^[1] The form found on the Indian subcontinent and in Iran is Ischnura aurora rubilio (Selys, 1876^[4]) and is now considered a different taxon, Ischnura rubilio.^[10]

Gallery

• 
  Male in Australia
• 
  Illustration of Ischnura aurora wing
• 
  Photo of female wings
• 
  Photo of male wings

See also

• List of Odonata species of Australia