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Sticker of Dancing dropwing
Bug card No. 1272 of 4,939

Dancing dropwing

Trithemis pallidinervis

The dancing dropwing is a yellowish brown dragonfly from Asia with very long, black, spidery legs. It likes to sit on the very tip of a swaying reed with its wings lifted up. That makes it one of the easiest dragonflies to spot.

Lives in
Asia, including India and Sri Lanka, near marshes, weedy ponds and lakes
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies cannot sting, so you can watch it up close.
What does it eat?
Like other dragonflies, it catches small flying insects. Its young grow up in the water and hunt there.
For real!Photo of Dancing dropwing
Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its wings are clear with reddish veins and shine like gold when you look from the right side.

2

The top part of its front legs is bright yellow, while the rest of its legs are black.

3

Young males are yellow, and they turn chocolate brown as they grow older.

4

It lays its eggs in marshes, weedy ponds and lakes, and sits on tall water plants or bare twigs nearby.

you asked

Most asked questions about Dancing dropwing

?Is the dancing dropwing dangerous?

No. Dragonflies cannot sting or hurt people.

?Where does the dancing dropwing live?

In Asia, for example in India and Sri Lanka, near marshes, ponds and lakes.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Trithemis pallidinervis
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
Asia
Also known as
Long-legged marsh glider

Where the facts come from

  1. Long-legged marsh glider (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 Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, 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.

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More from the same group: Dragonflies and damselflies

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores

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