“The male Common Chaser (Potamarcha congener, family Libellulidae) is a handsome local dragonfly. Its thorax and anterior abdominal segments are denim blue while the rest of the abdomen is black with yellowish streaks (above, below). While perched, it is constantly on the lookout for other males and will not hesitate to chase them away from his territory.
“A video clip of the male at perch may be viewed here:
“Competition for females can be stiff, and whenever one approaches the pond, she is almost guaranteed to be ‘abducted’ by the most attentive and aggressive male. Mating is carried out on the wing and is very momentary. As soon as the female is ‘released’ from the male’s grasp, she will return to the edge of the pond to scatter her eggs.
“I was privileged to witness this in late October 2014 and video clips of the female doing so may be viewed as follows:”
Dr. Leong Tzi Ming
Singapore
18th March 2015
