Goldtail, Allocnemis leucosticta, Goudstertjie.      

Short Description:

Goldtail, Allocnemis leucosticta is fairly large sized, slender, mostly black, with black and pale blue (or white) thorax, smoky wings, white pterostigmas and abdomen with golden tip and fluttering flight

Family Platycnemididae     (Jakobson & Bianchi, 1905)

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Key identification features:

Male

• Face light blue in a distinct line across and black; labrum and cheeks are light greenish blue. Anteclypeus brown, postclypeus black, frons light blue. Head black from above. Immature male head brown
• Eyes black above, blue below.  Neck black with a golden tip at the end of the abdomen is diagnostic .Immature male head, face and eyes brow with light brown
• Thorax black with white or light pale blue stripes. Humeral stripe white becoming yellowish with age.    Legs light blue/white in front with black at the back. Immature male brown in place of black makings 
• Wings smoky. Root of wings brown. White pterostigmas  
• Abdomen mostly black with fine whitish rings and white/light blue stripes along the lower segments becoming darker with age. S9 - 10 black below with distinct orange (white when young) pattern on top  . S1-2 white/light blue  below. Last half of segment 8 and all of segment s9 - 10, as well as appendages, yellow ,sometimes tending to orange but white when young.     S 10 may blacken to leave only yellow dot in center Cerci (upper appendages) with black tip but can become black at upper edges with age. Paraproct (lower appendages) white becoming yellow/orange with age. Cerci tips beds down and inwards.

Females

• Similar but less brightly coloured.
• Pterostigmas ranging from white when young to orange brown with age
• Abdomen mostly black with fine whitish rings and white/light blue stripes along the lower segments becoming darker and brownish yellow with age. Segments 8-10 blueish becoming yellow with age. S 8-10 with distinct pattern. Blueish becoming yellow with black or black bands below with age.

Habitat:

• Clear, shallow, forest streams. Varies from well forested areas to occasional bushes and trees. Montane forests along the coastal highlands from Western Cape - to Limpopo Provinces.
• From 0 to 2400 m above sea level.

Behaviour:

• Flits in sunny spots among branches overhanging streams, landing and perching in a conspicuous position.
• The white pterostigmas are clearly visible in flight.
• Fluttering flight pattern.
• Sometime in large numbers.

Compared with other species:

• Unmistakable. No other species to compare with.

Distribution

South Africa

• Goldtail, Allocnemis leucosticta is endemic to South Africa.    
• WCP, ECP, KZN From coastal to the coastal mountain ridges From Northern KZN along the escarpment mountains to MP and LP

Further reading for Goldtail, Allocnemis leucosticta

Websites:

•    The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Least Concern   .
•    Odonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 661480
•    African Dragonflies & Damselflies Online
•    A Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa