Scarlet skimmer (Crocothemis servilia)

Capung Merah or scarlet skimmer or ruddy marsh skimmer (Crocothemis servilia) is a dragonfly species in Libellulidae and has two known subspecies, Crocothemis servilia servilia (Drury, 1773) which has a mid-dorsal black line and Crocothemis servilia mariannae (Kiauta, 1983) which does not have a mid-dorsal black line.

C. servilia is a blood-red dragonfly, medium size and thin black lines along the middle abdomen, blood red eyes and purple side, ferruginous bright thorax and often blood red on the dorsum.

Scarlet skimmer has a blood red belly with a long and narrow black mid-dorsal carina. Females are similar to males, but thorax and abdomen are brown-olive and mid-dorsal black carina is rather wide. These insects are found on the shore to a height of more than 3,000 m above sea level.

Dragonflies breed in aqueous environments including lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps and rice fields as a place to lay eggs and spend their pre-adult childhood. Capung are strong pilots and have a wide range of areas. They spread widely in the forests, gardens to the yard and the urban environment.

The life cycle from egg to death after adulthood varies between six months to a maximum of six or seven years. Dragonflies lay eggs in plants in the water. Some species love in stagnant water, but others like to put eggs in silent water.

The larvae live and develop in the bottom of the waters, doing metamorphosis into nymphs and finally out of the water as adult dragonflies. Most cycles are spent as nymphs beneath the surface of the water using internal gills to breathe.

Larvae and nymphs are malignant carnivores. Large nymphs even hunt and prey on tadpoles and fish. Adult dragonflies only live for four months.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Libellulidae
Genus: Crocothemis
Species: C. servilia
Subspecies: C. s. servilia (Drury, 1773) dan C. s. mariannae (Kiauta, 1983)

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