Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Dragonflies and damselflies
Sticker of Twister
Bug card No. 4484 of 4,939

Twister

Tholymis tillarga
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The twister is a dragonfly with reddish eyes and a bright coral red tail. Its back wings have a golden brown patch with a cloudy white edge. It likes to fly at dawn and dusk.

Lives in
Tropical Africa, Asia, Australia and the Pacific islands, near weedy ponds and swamps
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting and do not hurt people.
What does it eat?
It catches flying insects in the air. Its babies live in ponds and hunt under water.
For real!Photo of Twister
Picture by Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It is a traveller that flies long distances.

2

The female is brown and has no cloudy white patch on her wings.

3

It is also busy on cloudy days.

4

It lays its eggs in still water like weedy ponds, swamps and lakes.

you asked

Most asked questions about Twister

?When does the twister fly?

Mostly at dawn and dusk, and on cloudy days.

?Is the twister dangerous?

No. Dragonflies have no sting and are harmless to people.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Tholymis tillarga
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Coral-tailed cloudwing, Evening skimmer, Foggy-winged twister, Crepuscular darter

Where the facts come from

  1. Tholymis tillarga (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Dragonflies and damselflies

Emperor dragonflyDragonflies and damselfliesCommon whitetailDragonflies and damselfliesGreen darnerDragonflies and damselfliesEbony jewelwingDragonflies and damselfliesGlobe skimmerDragonflies and damselfliesBlue dasherDragonflies and damselflies

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores

Lake pondskaterTrue bugs and cicadasSea-slaterWoodliceFlower jumping spiderSpidersLittoral tiger beetleBeetlesOblique-lined tiger beetleBeetlesWaterlily leafcutter mothMoths
Honey jarfor grown-ups