EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Skimmer on My Boot

Scarlet Skimmer (Crocothemis servilia), Family Libellulidae 
Dudhwa National Park, Uttar Pradesh, India

Explanation:  Here we have a very widespread species (the dragonfly, not me) that chose to alight on my boot as I was exploring wonderful Dudhwa National Park in northern India.  

This is a Scarlet Skimmer, also known as Oriental Scarlet, and Ruddy Marsh Skimmer.  It occurs natively throughout India, south Asia, and southeast Asia, and has been introduced to Hawaii, Florida, and elsewhere.  

This individual is likely a female, as males are bright red.  Here in India, Scarlet Skimmers are very common residents of marshes, lakes, river, canals, and paddy fields.  

Studies (Rahman et al. 2022) have shown how larvae and nymph phases of the Scarlet Skimmer can be voracious predators of immature stages of the Southern House Mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus), a species that is a vector of avian malaria and multiple viruses including West Nile virus.  The skimmer, therefore, can be a valuable biological control agent against the mosquito.  

  

Information:
     Rahman, K. M. Z., M. A. Rahman, M. J. Sharif, M. S. Mia, M. M. Kamal, M. A. Razzak, and K. Bashar.  2022.  Predatory efficiency of dragonfly nymphs, Crocothemis servilia and Rhyothemis variegata against the mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus Say.  Asian-Australasian Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology 7(3):82-89 https://doi.org/10.3329/aajbb.v7i3.62338
     “Studies on Habitat Preference and Morphology of Crocothemis Servilia Servilia (Drury, 1770) in Ecological Zones of District Khairpur Mirs Sindh, Pakistan”. 2025. Planta Animalia 4 (3): 267-71. https://doi.org/10.71454/PA.004.03.0282.