INDIAN DRAGONFLIES. 



737 



Genus — Brachythemis. 



Fig. 44. — Wings of Brachythemis contaminata showing neuration. 



Brachythemis, Brauer, 1868. 



Head moderately large ; eyes moderately contiguous ; forehead strongly 

 rounded and with no marked foreborder ; suture flush; vesicle high and 

 narrow, with two small points on summit. 



Prothorax ; lobe very small, broadly arched. 



Thorax moderately robust. Legs long, hind femora with a row of 

 gradually lengthening spines, mid femora with similar, stouter, smaller 

 spines. Tibial spines numerous, fine and moderately long. Claw-hooks 

 medium. 



Abdomen narrow and short, slightly fusiform, depressed and gradually 

 tapering toward the end. A transverse ridge on the 4th seg- 

 ment. 



Wings short and moderately narrow, the reticulation close, those of the 

 male usually crossed by a coloured fascia ; trigones in line with each other ; 

 sectors of arc shortly fused ; arc between the 1st and 2nd antenodal nervures, 

 8th nervure in the hindwing either at the anal angle of the trigone or a 

 little separated ; 6| to 8^ antenodal nervures, the final incomplete ; trigone 

 in hindwing at the arc or slightly proximal ; 4th nervure with a single flat 

 curve ; 1 to 2 rows between 5 and 5a ; trigone in the forewing broad, 

 entire or traversed, that of the hind entire ; sub-trigone in the forewing 

 entire or with 2 or 3 cells, when with 2 cells, the traversing nervure strongly 

 convex ; all hypertrigones free ; 1 ciibital nervure to all wings ; no supple- 

 mentary nervures to the bridge; 8th nervure in the hindwing long, slightly 

 curved ; the discoidal field with parallel sides or but slightly dilated, with 

 3 rows of cells ; anal field in the hindwing broad ; loop long and broad, 

 its mid-sector nearly straight, the cells between its inner border and the 

 basal margin of wing with a tendency to be arranged in rows. Stigma 

 small. Membrane of medium size. 



Sexual organs : male, small; lamina depressed, its free border prolonged; 

 the tentaculae, two small hooks and poorly developed external process; the 



