About Hemigomphus comitatus (Tillyard, 1909)
Hemigomphus comitatus is a small dragonfly species that carries black and yellow markings. It has a wingspan of 50 to 55 millimeters and a total body length of 40 to 45 millimeters. Adult individuals have green eyes that do not meet at the top of the head. Female heads have a spine projecting from the occiput, located just behind the eyes. The synthorax bears prominent bold black and yellow stripes; the humeral stripe is usually continuous. A black marking running along the synthorax suture is typically broken both above and below the metastigma. The abdomen is black with distinct, prominent yellow bands. Male appendages are yellow and curve inwards toward each other at their tips. The wing margin at the base of the hindwing is folded in males, while it is uniformly curved in females. This species has been recorded across an area extending from near Mackay, Queensland to the northern regions of Cape York Peninsula, and it is most often found along the coastal strip and adjacent nearby mountain ranges. Hemigomphus comitatus inhabits streams and rivers, and does not require rainforest habitat to survive. The photographed specimen referenced here was collected in suburban Cairns, near a seasonal storm-water creek.
