The Odonata or Dragonflies of South Africa. 869 



(ii, iii . 1900, Marshall). Coll. Bis : 3 cJ, Delagoa Bay (H. Junod) ; 

 1 ? , Lorenco Marques (29 . xi . 1911) ; 1 (J, 1 ? , Harrar, Abyssinia 

 (1911,K:ristenseu). Mus. Stockholm: 1 (J, Madagascar. Mus. Ham- 

 burg : 1 J , Nguelo, Usambara ; 1 9 , Chiroma, Brit. E. Africa ; 1 ? , 

 Nossi Be ; 1 (^ , 1 ? , Mauritius (Eobilliard). 



<? . Labium and labrum yellowish. Face and froiis liijht green. 

 On base of frous a narrow black line, descending very narrowly along 

 the eyes, broadly fused to a black median spot, which is individually 

 variable in outline, more rounded, or broadly lanceolate, more or less 

 pointed anteriorly ; along anterior ridge of frons a broad band 

 somewhat variable in colour between bluish grey and almost pure 

 blue. Thorax pure light green, the latere -ventral sutures lined with 

 blackish. Legs long and robust, black, basal half of second, two- 

 thirds of third femora ferruginous, gradually passing to black 

 distally ; interior side of first femora whitish yellow. Abdomen 

 light green on first and basal third of second segment, otherwise 

 light sky blue ; from segment 2 to 10 a mid-dorsal black band, 

 sinuate by dilatations at transverse cariuae and in posterior third 

 of segments 3-7 ; lateral margins and sup^slementary cariuae narrowly 

 lined with black. Appendages black, ventral side of inferior one 

 ochreous ; superiors very slightly convex laterally, strongly convex 

 medially, rounded at the ends ; densely covered with long greyish 

 pubescence in distal half of median margin ; inferior about two- 

 fifths the length of superiors, very little narrowed to end, the end 

 slightly upturned and very shallowly emarginate. Wings very 

 slightly tinged with greyish yellow from the triangles outward. 

 Costal vein light yellow ; pterostigma greyish ochreous ; membranule 

 white in proximal third, black in distal two-thirds. 



? . Abdomen green to bluish olivaceous, all the markings (dorsal 

 baud and carinae) dull ferruginous instead of black. Second and 

 third femora ferruginous out to a narrow black ring at the distal 

 joint. Appendages simple, broadly lanceolate. Wings rather deep 

 yellow between triangles and distal end of pterostigma. 



S, Abil bl + b,hdw. 48, Jit. 4-5 mm. ?, 50-f-4, 50, 5. 



The differences between this form and the European A. imperaior 

 have been discussed in the Schultze pajser {q.v.) ; the additional 

 materials here recorded prove once more these differences to be 

 extremely slight. One of the males from Lorenco Marques is stuffed, 

 and shows the ground-colour of abdomen to be of just the same light 

 and pure sky blue that we know in the European form. Indeed, if 

 there was not the old name with a historical right, the writer would 

 scarcely find the African form worthy of sub-specific distinction. 



