About Trithemis festiva (Rambur, 1842)
Trithemis festiva, commonly called the black stream glider, is a medium-sized dragonfly with purple pigmentation on its body. Males have a darker purplish grey frontal area. Their eyes are dark brown on top with a purple tinge, and bluish grey on the sides and underneath. The male thorax is black, covered in purple pruinescence that gives it a deep blue appearance. Males have black legs and transparent wings, with a dark opaque brown mark at the base of the hindwing and a black spot at the wing tip. The male abdomen is covered in fine blue pruinescence. Females are brown on the front, with this coloration extending above. Female eyes are dark brown on top and greyish underneath. The female thorax ranges from greenish-yellow to olivaceous, with a medial dark brown lateral stripe, and inverted Y-shaped stripes visible on the sides. Female legs are black, with the anterior femora yellow on the inner side. Females have transparent wings with a dark reddish-brown tip that bears a black spot, similar to males. The female abdomen is bright yellow with black medial, lateral, and ventral stripes; the medial and lateral black stripes join at the abdominal segments to enclose a wedge-shaped yellow spot. Black stream gliders are commonly found near slow-flowing streams and canals adjacent to dense forest. They typically perch on boulders next to streams, rivers, and canals. They have also been observed perching on the tips of aquatic plants, dried plants, and other plants that grow near the banks of sluggish streams or rivers.
