EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Brachythemis contaminata (no common name),
Family Corduliidae (Green-eyed Skimmers)
Kaziranga National Park, Assam, northeast India
left: immature male; right: female

Explanation:  How can such a beautiful insect that is so widely distributed across southern Asia and common in India have no standard common name?  Such is the case with Brachythemis contaminata. 

The image on the left is an immature male with orange in the wings, and the right one is a female with the yellow tick in the forewing.  The mature male (not shown here) is brilliant orange with orange wings.  

This species is predatory, often preying on other dragonflies.  But it also provides a useful ecological service by its nymphs preying on mosquito larvae; as such, it could serve as a natural biological control agent.  

Acknowledgment:  My thanks to Dennis Paul for identification and information on the species' distribution.