Agrionoptera insignis allogenes (Tillyard, 1908))

RED SWAMPDRAGON

Family Libellulidae

Agrionoptera insignis allogenes

A male Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW,
April 13th 2014.

Red Swampdragons are one of my favourite dragonflies, not only for their brilliant colouring, but also for a curious encounter I had with a couple of them. I was watching a female laying eggs in a swampy pool when this female came up and hovered about a foot in front of me at chest height checking me out. To top that off shortly after she came back with a male and both hovered about a foot in front of me also at chest height - too close to photograph! It was very strange to have 2 dragonflies checking me out at the same time. The female went back to laying eggs close to the edges of the pool. The male mainly perched while the female was laying eggs so I was not sure if he was guarding her or not.

Agrionoptera insignis allogenes

A female Red Swampdragon flying at Red Rock NSW,
on April 15th 2012.

Red Swampdragon

A male Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW, April 15tth 2012.

Austroaeschna pulchraA male Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW,
April 13th 2014.
Agrionoptera insignis allogenes A male Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW, March 18th 2012.

The first Red Swampdragon that I noticed was a female flying around the edge of a small patch of Littoral Rainforest at Red Rock NSW. A couple more female Red Swampdragons were perched at the edge of another patch of rainforest. I have only seen one male here so it seems to be a place that the females hang ou

A female Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW,
February 22nd 2015

Austroaeschna pulchraA female Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW,
March 28th 2012
Austroaeschna pulchraA female Red Swampdragon at Red Rock NSW,
December 22nd 2015

The beautiful male Red Swampdragon seems to like to hang around swampy pools which dry out in times of low rainfall. I have seen females laying eggs in these pools in autumn. The pools often dry out in winter and spring so I am wondering if the larvae bury themselves to survive the dry periods. I have seen an occasional Red Swampdragon at a couple of more permanent pools but never as many as at the ephemeral pools.

Austroaeschna pulchraA male Red Swampdragon flying at Red Rock NSW,
on May 9th 2014.
Austroaeschna pulchraA female Red Swampdragon laying eggs at Red Rock NSW,
on April 15th 2012.