“In Singapore, the Sultan dragonfly (Camacinia gigantea) is by far the largest of the libellulids (family Libellulidae), but is not regularly nor reliably seen. Whenever an opportunity arises, it would often be the attractive males that are more noticeable (above).
“The females, though less brightly coloured, are just as impressive with their formidable wingspan (above).
“With the females typically outnumbered by the males, competition for them is stiff. After the victorious male has mated with a receptive female, she proceeds to a quiet corner to lay her eggs. She deliberately adopts a vertical posture and repeatedly dips her abdomen upon the water surface at a slow and steady pace (above).
“A brief video clip of this female ovipositing (on 12th November 2014 at a local pond) may be previewed here:
“This egg-laying technique is perfectly consistent with that previously reported by Razak Jaffar (2012).”
Dr. Leong Tzi Ming
Singapore
18th June 2015
Reference:
Razak Jaffar, A., 2012. Observations of the dragonfly, Camacinia gigantea (Brauer) at the Night Safari, Singapore (Insecta: Odonata: Libellulidae). Nature in Singapore, 5: 7–11.
