“Although the Common Flangetail (Ictinogomphus decoratus, family Gomphidae) is a fairly widespread dragonfly species in Singapore, observations of their mating activity or egg-laying behaviour seem scarce. I have only ever witnessed their brief mating twice in the field, but their union has always been too fast and furious for me to document.
“Soon after mating, the female would seek a suitable site to deposit her eggs. On the 19th November 2014, I was thrilled with the rare sight of a female ovipositing at a local pond (above).
“Once a particularly preferred platform of aquatic vegetation has been identified, she will approach the target zone steadily, execute her brakes, engage reverse gear, then descend to dip her abdomen upon the water surface with pin-point precision. This graceful dance of egg deposition is repeated a few more times at the same site of choice.
“A brief video clip of this female ovipositing in slow motion may be previewed here:”
Dr. Leong Tzi Ming
Singapore
11th June 2015
