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Diplacodes bipunctata

Karakara‘avai

Small Red-body Dragonfly

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Type	Description	Download
Image:	Male (red) and female (yellow)	49KB
Image:	Male (red)	63KB
Image:	Female (yellow)	74KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Small Red-body Dragonfly

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Karakara‘avai (RR), Pepe (PK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Indonesia/Australia - Marquesas / Tuamotu; s. to NZ

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group - common, N.Group - common; Land, lowlands to mid-uplands (c.200m), young in Freshwater

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol - natural

KEY FEATURES: A small red (male) or yellow-green (female) dragonfly wingspan 55mm, body 35mm. Wings clear except hindwing base has a brownish-yellow blotch, and forewing tip-rectangle is dark red. Rests with wings pointing downward and forward.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Hemicordulia pacificus cf. similar size, but with 2 diagonal pale bars on thorax; and wings ?cloudy.

Enlarged Image of 'Diplacodes bipunctata'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
+++	P	P		++

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
			+++

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Diplacodes bipunctata (Brauer, 1865)
SYNONYMS: Libellula bipunctata Brauer, 1865; Cordulia novae-zelandiae Brauer, 1865; Diplax bipunctata Brauer, 1865; Diplax pacificus Kirby, 1884

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Odonata; Anisoptera; LIBELLULIDAE

More Information

IDENTIFICATION: Small-sized dragonfly, wingspan to 55mm, body 35mm. BODY bright red or yellow-green; abdomen with 4 narrow brown bands; head brown; legs brown. WINGS clear except for brown-yellow spot on base of hindwing; wingtip rectangle dark red. RESTS with wings pointing down and forward. MALE abdomen red with black lateral markings on sements 4-7; FEMALE yellow-green with fine black dorsal line forming posterior spots on segments 4-7.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: in Ris 1909; specimens 9/1937, C.E.Clarke, reported Wise (1980); specimens, Takuvaine Valley, 9/1969, Wise 1980; specimens, 1950-51, in Lieftinck 1953; specimen 10/1975 in Walker & Dietz 1979; specimens, lowland, 8/1997, L.Doig; specimen, Raemaru track, 200m elev. 5/2003, G.McC for BPBM. Mangaia: specimens, 9/1969, Wise 1980; specimen, male, near Kaumata Village, 6/1996, Coll.R.Fricke, ID A.Martens in Odonatologica 4(9)137-152. Atiu: specimens, 9/1969, Wise 1980. Mitiaro: fieldsighting+photos, NBSAP visit 2000, GM. Pukapuka: specimens+photo, PK028=M, PK029=F, 2/2004, common everywhwere, ID GMcC.

References:
Special Reference: W&D79,

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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