Water Prince Dragonfly - Hydrobasileus brevistylus

FAMILY LIBELLULIDAE

This page contains information and pictures about Water Prince Dragonflies that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Female, body length 50mm

This is a very large dragonfly with strong but relatively short body. Its wings are much longer than its body, so we expected the dragonfly is good at gliding flight and may be good at long distance travel too. Its abdomen is black with yellow spots.



The above photo was taken in a Lagoon in Karawatha Forest. The males were chasing the females in a hot summer day.

We saw this Water Prince Dragonfly a few times. First time the dragonfly was laying eggs alone on the Moolabin Creek in mid summer. We saw two times the female laid eggs alone in a small pond near Mt-Coot-Tha Library in early and mid summer. After laying eggs she flied away.


Female

We saw a few time the dragonfly rest on plants at water edge of Bulimba Creek in Yugarapul Park. They rested with body in vertical and abdomen slightly curved. They like to rest about one to two meters from ground in an area under thick plants covering.


Male

Female lays eggs when hovering and inserts the tip of her abdomen into the water with plants and algae. We saw the eggs ball on her abdomen before she put them under the water.



In Jan 2008 we found this dragonfly is common in a Lagoon in Karawatha Forest. We saw those dragonflies laying eggs in tandem.




Wings of Water Prince Dragonfly