Family : Libellulidae
Common name : Pygmy Dragonfly
Status : Common
Location : Lornie Trail, Rifle Range Nature Trail, Chestnut Ave, Upper Peirce
Nannophya pygmaea (or pypmy) is one of the smallest dragonflies species in the world and certainly the smallest dragonfly that can be found in Singapore. It has a total length of approximately 15mm long and a wingspan of only about 20mm. The male is almost entire red particularly on its eyes and body.
Below is an image of a not fully mature male where the colours are not in complete red yet.
The young male is yellowish brown in colour:
The female is less commonly seen than the males where its abdomen has bands of brown and white.
They are very cooperative and photographing them is relatively easy. The challenge is to get a uniform background and a good angle having its wings not covering their faces which I didn’t quite manage to do it for these 3 male images.
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Hi Anthony, just back from a behind-the-scenes look at the London Natural History Museum where I saw my first N. pygmaea, albeit on a pin! So, I came looking for your lovely shots to see what they look like live, having missed it myself when you showed us the Lornie Trail in Singapore. I really should come back, I saw so much, thanks to you, but also missed so much.
All the best, John