Tau Emerald
Pair Mating, rotated, male left
Ellura
Wandering Percher
Young Male, dorsal
 
                      
Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Dragonflies (Odonata)
Family: Emerald Dragonfly (Epiprocta: Corduliidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau)
This Photo:     🔍Pair Mating, 3 pronged clasp🔎

Thank you Stephen Fricker for confirming the id of this species for us

EXTRA - Photo Specific Information:
Why do male dragonflies have 3 prongs on the tail? Here's the answer: one over her face, and 2 behind her head (one each side of her neck). It can be a pretty violent affair where she can litterly loose her head!
General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA), the Adelaide Hills, the Flinders Ranges, the Riverland and elsewhere
Different to the Australian Emerald (H. australiae) in a few ways. The Tau has:
1. Orange leading wing veins & wing patch (pterostigma), rather than black
2. An orange spot at the end of it's tail (segment 10)
3. An inverted "T" on it's face (unfortunately we didn't capture this in the photo's, yet)

Copyright © 2016-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 06-Dec-2016
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.