Small Reedling, male. Photos 1-3 side on, photo 4 appendages from below, photo 5 appendages from above. Rapid Creek, Darwin.
Synlestes tropicus, female. Emerald Falls Creek.
Diplacodes nebulosa. May be be same animal as obs. no. 104850200
The second Tropical Unicorn Darner
Telephlebia tillyardi, female. Found as a joint effort with Geoff Walker.
Austrocordulia refracta
We sighted this male Ochre-tipped Darner hunting and we kept a very close watch on it. It finally decided to land quite low near us. As we searched for it in the foliage it suddenly shot out from under some fern leaves and landed just to the right of us. The first three images are of it at that position hanging of a leaf. After a while it flew again but not far, it landed only three metres slightly above us to the left and on a clear twig, enabling us to shoot “ a virtual 360 degree tour “ of it, without being disturbed by us in any way whatsoever, shot after shot after shot. One very obliging male !! After having gotten all the images we wanted we left it there in peace and kept saying “Thank you – Thank you - Thank you”, as we walked away in a daze !!
Some heavily cropped shots of the male terminalia included. Form of the superior appendages is hard to make out but the inferior appendages are moderately elongate and slender without a hooked apex (in lateral view) and appear to be divergent in dorsal view, excluding L. brevicauda and most consistent with L. conjuncta. Form of the basal wing venation eliminates L. barbarae as a contender.
Rainforest Mystic (male) found by Geoff Walker at Davies Creek, Dinden National Park, Qld
(1) dorsal
(2) ventral