INDIAN DRAGONFLIES, 116 
Abdomen: Ist segment pale brown with an incomplete apical, black ring ; 
2nd segment pale greenish yellow on dorsum, pale bluish green on sides at the 
apex and with a narrow, median, black mark on the dorsum ; remaining segments 
a dirty yellow marked with a narrow, triangular, brown, median spot on dorsum 
of segments 3 to 7 and broad, apical and narrow, basal annules on segments 
3 to 8; 9th segment brown at the base and sides only ; 10th segment entirely 
yellowish green or pale yellow. Often the 8th segment is entirely black save 
for a small, apical spot which broadens laterally but does not meet its fellow 
over the dorsum. 
Dentigerous plate rounded and covered with small denticules. 
Anal appendages brown lanceolate, as long as the 2 last abdominal segments. 
Legs black. 
Hab.—Throughout India in the montane and semi-montane areas, some- 
what scarce in the North but becoming increasingly common as its distribution 
is traced southwards. The Western Ghats are its natural habitat, where it 
is found at any height above 2,000 ft. rarely being taken below that elevation. 
Tt breeds freely in all watercourses at Ootacamund and other hill-tops of the 
Nilgiris. I have taken it not uncommonly in the Poona District. and found 
that it became more common as traced up to Satara and finally Mahableshwar 
at which latter place (in a restricted locality below the lake) it literally swarms. 
Anax immaculifrons is one of our finest species both as regards its size and 
beauty. It is to be sought for in the beds of rocky mountain streams in which 
places it has a regular beat of a mile or more, plying restlessly backwards and 
forwards for hours. It oviposits in deep running water, inserting its eggs 
into the stems of reeds and whilst doing so is always guarded by the male which 
hovers above it at a height of 2 to 3 feet. The female engaged in this work 
will often be submerged almost up to its neck in the water. The larve are 
easily discernible crawling sluggishly along the mud at the bottom of moun- 
tain streams, and the exuvize may be found in such situations clinging to reed 
stems at the side of the streams. 
2. Anax guttatus, Burm. 
Brauer, Reise, d. Novara, Neur. p. 62 (1866); Hagen, Verh. Zool. 
Ges. Wien, xvii., p. 39 (1867); Martin, Coll. Zool. de Selys. 
Aeschnines (1909); Laidlaw, Ind. Mus. Rec. MS (1921). 
Aeschna guttata, Burm. Handb. Ent. ii., p. 840. n. 14 (1839); 
Anax magnus, Ramb. Ins. Nevr. p. 182 (1842); Brauer. |. c. p. 62 (1866). 
Dr. Laidlaw has splitupa number of forms of this insect into three series, 
A, Band C. Of these, series A is undoubtely the true Anax quttatus, of Burmei- 
ster, and series B is most probably a local race of the same insect. Series C 
seems to approach the parthenope group and is doubtfully Anax bacchus, Hagen. 
Martin holds this view, as his description of the latter insect evidently tallies 
with that of Laidlaw’s series C, and also with specimens of Anaz which I have 
received from various parts of the Himalayas and had regarded as A. bacchus. 
Male.—Abdomen 52 to 56 mm. Hindwing 49 to 52 mm. 
Head : labium, labrum, epistome and frons pale yellow or olivaceous, unmark- 
ed; eyes sap green above and at the sides, pale yellowish green beneath ; 
vesicle black ; occiput black with a spot at its middle and the posterior border 
yellow. 
In some specimens the labrum is bordered with brown ; there is no T-shaped 
mark on the upper surface of the frons. 
Prothorax brown, more or less concealed by the overhanging head. 
Thorax bulky, sap green, without any markings, The tergum is in some 
specimens marked with brown. 
Legs black, the femora reddish brown, especially the hinder pair. 
