Overview
About 200 dragonfly species distribute in Japan. In a local (each Prefecture), we can find about 90 species through a year.
In the period of the Congress from late July to early August, you may find 20-40 species in a day-trip. We will introduce some of them.
Pool/Pond dwellers
Left: Ceriagrion melanurum: common, a pond dweller.
Right: Nannophya pygmaea: rare, living in boggy area.
Left: Polycanthagyna melanictera: rather common, a crepuscular species.
Right: Aeschnophlebia anisoptera: rare, also a crepuscular species.
Left: Sinictinogomphus clavatus: common.
Right: Epophthalmia elegans: common.
Left: Rhyothemis fuliginosa: common in ponds with rich vegetation.
Right: Pseudothemis zonata: common in ponds with poor/no vegetation.
Riverine Species
Left: Atrocalopteryx atrata: very common.
Right: Platycnemis foliacea sasakii: rare and restricted, -
- fan-shaped tibia for the use of sexual display.
Left: Calopteryx cornelia: common, the largest Calopterygid in Japan.
Right: Onychogomphus viridicostus: common.
Left: Sieboldius albardae: common, the largest gomphid in Japan.
Right: Stylurus oculatus: common but restricted. also living in large lakes.
Left: Boyeria maclachlani: common.
Right: Anotogaster sieboldii: common, the largest dragonfly in Japan.
Epiophlebia superstes
Left: an adult male: usually close the wings while perching.
Right: F-1 larvae: F-1s in different color but F-0s only black ones.
Adults disappear by July, so you can find only larvae.