3 January 2011

Last year an article about dragonfly-watching “Dragonflies Through Binoculars” appeared on Bird-O, explaining how “There are only 324 dragonfly species known in Australia, less than half the number of birds …  this is a group that is really easy to learn”.

In Victoria there are just 75 species. A database of sightings and images online, now covers most of these. The rarest are associated with lowland freshwater, an increasingly scarce resource. However, altitude, or more specifically temperature and humidity, is the big factor in distribution. So as you travel east from Melbourne and climb up into the Yarra Ranges, you’ll discover an amazing diversity. In fact, on an ideal day, you could get 35-40 species … and another couple within the same area, with extra visits early and late in the season.

The best time of year to see dragonflies in Victoria is right now! There are some early and late-emerging dragonflies that you may need extra trips out to see at other times of the year but late December / January is best. What we’ve done here is assemble a list of sites that can be done in a day … which means by the end of a weekend, you’ll be well on your way to becoming another in a growing list of odonutters!

To learn about dragonflies in Victoria and contribute to this growing interest, visit the Australian Dragonflies website at http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com.

• Interactive Australian Dragonfly KEY (by Reiner Richter)
• GUIDE TO all Australia’s dragonflies.
• Checklist of Victorian dragonflies.

To start with, let’s take a look at some really common Victorian species, of which there are about twenty. Sadly, most waterways that are even slightly polluted can only support these few. But they can be seen almost anywhere you go … from local parks in the middle of Melbourne (e.g. Albert Park Lake) to the Western Treatment Plant and even temporary puddles.

The majority of Odes are pretty easy to tell apart, if you know what characters to look for. Males are usually easier to identify and there’s usually plenty around. The ‘darners’ pose a particular challenge, though these are quite do-able with some simple practice. For the vast majority of species, a photo is usually enough to confirm identification.

Common damselflies

By far the commonest damselfly is the Common Bluetail, which you can see absolutely anywhere and has two large pale spots or ‘headlights’ above the eyes (compared to the narrow stripe on the head of Eastern Billabongfly). These are often found alongside Red and Blue Damsel and the tiny orange-bodied Aurora Bluetail (the smallest Ode in Victoria). The Ringtails (Austrolestes) are another abundant group. Three of them are particularly common and with some practice, you’ll learn to recognise the sort of waterbody each prefers. A close look at the pattern of the abdomen and side of the thorax is usually enough to tell them apart.

• Common Bluetail (Ischnura heterosticta) [very abundant everywhere from lowland to alpine]
• Red & Blue Damsel (Xanthagrion erythroneurum) [very abundant everywhere from lowland to alpine]
• Common Flatwing (Austroargiolestes icteromelas) [common in mostly lowland to low-altitude areas]
• Aurora Bluetail (Ischnura aurora) [disperses huge distances as 'aerial plankton']
• Eastern Billabongfly (Austroagrion watsoni) [relatively common]
• Slender Ringtail (Austrolestes analis) [common, often in grassy paddocks and gardens, away from water]
• Blue Ringtail (Austrolestes annulosus) [common around edges of lakes and ponds]
• Wandering Ringtail (Austrolestes leda) [common in lowland areas]

Common dragonflies

The dragonflies you are most likely seeing on a daily basis are the two emeralds – they even occur in Melbourne CBD. They are medium-sized, thin-bodied and hawk about at head height and above, often in loose swarms. The two are easily told apart in flight, as the male Tau Emerald has reddish veins on the leading edges of the wings (black veins in Australian Emerald). These will also occur around any substantial standing water, along with a couple of much larger dragonflies. Blue-spotted Hawker is dark in colour and has two conspicuous thick parallel diagonal stripes on the thorax and a large blue spot at the base of the abdomen. Contrastingly, the Australian Emperor is massive, with green eyes and thorax and big orange markings on the abdomen, terminating in a broadly orange-tipped abdomen. The Blue Skimmer males have pale blue bodies with a dark tip to the abdomen and dart about at the edges of lakes, liking to land on stony margins, whilst the Wandering Percher males are orangy-red and settle atop grass stems just beyond the water.

• Blue-spotted Hawker (Aeshna brevistyla) [abundant, often far from water. Breeds in ponds with tall marginal grasses]
• Australian Emperor (Hemianax papuensis) [abundant, largest dragonfly in the region]
• Australian Emerald (Hemicordulia australiae) [Abundant. Breeds anywhere]
• Tau Emerald (Hemicordulia tau) [Abundant. Breeds anywhere]
• Blue Skimmer (Orthetrum caledonicum) [Abundant, inhabits gravelly and concrete edges of lakes and ponds]
• Wandering Percher (Diplacodes bipunctata) [abundant, even far from water in grassy paddocks]
• Scarlet Percher (Diplacodes haematodes)
• Southern Evening Darner (Telephlebia brevicauda) [abundant in low altitude to alpine areas. Crepuscular].
• Yellow-striped Hunter (Austrogomphus guerini) [common in mainly lowland to low-altitude areas]
• Small Tigertail (Eusynthemis brevistyla) [common around all lowland to low-altitude waterways and seeps]
• Southern Tigertail (Eusynthemis guttata) [common in low-altitude waterways and seeps]

A Recommended Dragonflying Day!

All the above species can be seen with ease, any time from December to January and often the months either side. But if you want to supplement your list with a range of less common species – and get a quick grounding in the state’s odes – it’s pretty easy to do in a day or so, by visiting a few key sites. Try to choose a day when it’s been warm overnight and the daytime forecast is for sun and temperatures above 25 degrees until sundown. This way you can start almost as soon as the sun starts to hit the water and be seeing the crepuscular Southern Evening Darner at dusk – search for these under low-hanging vegetation during the day, or just look up after dark!

View Dragonfly Day in a larger map

Much of the information in here we have to thank Reiner Richter for. Without Reiner’s continued commitment to searching out and reporting his sites, we wouldn’t know a thing about several species in the state. Apart from extending the range of one of Australia’s rarest dragonflies (Ancient Greenling) across the state and into South Australia, Reiner has found several lowland freshwater species with fewer than a handful of sightings in a hundred years.

MELBOURNE, YARRA RIVER

Wonga Park / Mt Lofty http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com/locations/-37.7062/145.2892

Along the Yarra river about half an hour from Melbourne CBD is Mt Lofty in Wonga Park.

Three species of particular interest are Orange Threadtail, Powdered Wiretail and Gold-fronted Riverdamsel. The Wiretails are very long and thin-bodied. Look for them hanging off the black wattle that fringes the river. The Threadtails and River Damsels are smaller and found low down in standing vegetation along the river banks. Golden Tigertail is also recorded here – a species that’s quite common on fairly fast-flowing rivers throughout the eastern half of the state and you should see more during the day as you climb in altitude. It’s quite likely you’ll see your first darner, which is a group notoriously hard to identify. Unicorn Darner is one of the most common in lowland rivers, though it will also occur up through lower parts of the Yarra ranges. If you get a good view, it’s possible to see the markings on the top of the thorax, which form outward-pointing crescents.  You’ll also see at least two types of ‘Gomphid’, possibly three. These are river specialities. Yellow-striped Hunter is the commonest, with its median stripe all the way down the abdomen. Southern Vicetail is far less common and this is the closest site to Melbourne that we currently know about.

• Southern Vicetail (Hemigomphus gouldii)
• Yellow-striped Hunter (Austrogomphus guerini)
• Jade Hunter (Austrogomphus ochraceus)
• Orange Threadtail (Nososticta solida)
• Gold-fronted Riverdamsel (Pseudagrion aureofrons)
• Powdered Wiretail (Rhadinosticta simplex)
• Bronze Needle (Synlestes weyersii)
• Golden Tigertail (Eusynthemis virgula)
• Unicorn Darner (Austroaeschna unicornis) [quite a common darner, found on many rivers and creeks throughout the state]
• Swamp Tigertail (Synthemis eustalacta)

Later in the season (possibly as early as January), this is also a fantastic place to see Common Shutwing. Look for these perched on fallen timber or standing trees. Though a dragonfly, they sit with their wings shut and are quite small.

• Common Shutwing (Cordulephya pygmaea)

YARRA RANGES

The Yarra Ranges are a great place to start looking for dragonflies. Because it’s heavily forested, the darners are well represented. Darners are mostly species of forest habitats and have diversified to occupy subtle habitat niches. Like most dragonflies, they are capable of dispersing over some distance and can therefore be seen just about anywhere, but they only breed in particular places. So it helps to know exactly where to look. It also helps to know that there are several species ‘pairs’ – that is, species that are quite similar to one another.

Multi-spotted Darner Austroaeschna multipunctata <> Swamp Darner Austroaeschna parvistigma

Unicorn Darner Austroaeschna unicornis  <> Whitewater Darner Austroaeschna inermis

Mountain Darner Austroaeschna atrata <> Conehead Darner Austroaeschna subapicalis

All of these species have been recorded in nearby areas, with the exception of Whitewater Darner which is mostly a mid-altitude species of eastern Victoria. Conehead Darner is very infrequently recorded and Swamp Darner occasionally recorded e.g. at Silvan in the Dandenongs (look for a Multi-spotted Darner with yellow knees!). But mostly it’s the left-hand three species that are likely to be seen.

Warburton, Cement Creek http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com/locations/-37.7208/145.7545

Continuing up the Yarra river to Warburton, there are a number of species that occur at slightly higher altitude. Cement Creek is one location that has the beautiful Whitewater Rockmaster – which is actually a damselfly, even though it looks like a dragonfly. They are bright blue and sit on rocks amongst rapids in the river. The Yarra Ranges may be the closest you can expect to see this species from Melbourne. There’s also at least two common species of Tigertail. Small Tigertail has two large yellow spots at the end of the abdomen, whereas Southern Tigertail has smaller spots equally distributed down the abdomen.

You should also see Unicorn Darner here. Around rivers, darners tend to fly low and fast over the water, occasionally seeking a sunny spot over the banks. Unicorn Darner inhabits fairly wide rivers in the lower-altitude parts of the region. However, if you can find your way slightly upstream, where the creek is accessible, you should also be able to find Mountain Darner. This species likes fast flowing, often narrow and quite steep, rocky streams with plenty of fallen timber.

• Whitewater Rockmaster (Diphlebia lestoides)
• Small Tigertail (Eusynthemis brevistyla)
• Southern Tigertail (Eusynthemis guttata)
• Bronze Needle (Synlestes weyersii)
• Powdered Flatwing (Austroargiolestes calcaris)
• Unicorn Darner (Austroaeschna unicornis)
• Mountain Darner (Austroaeschna atrata)

It’s worth a detour uphill towards Mt Donna Buang. Halfway to the summit, there is the rainforest canopy walk. From the car park back along the road toWarburton, it crosses Cement Creek. There are usually many Multi-spotted Darner in this area. This species prefers heavily forested ferny gullies. It’s quite common in the Dandenongs as well. This area has also, in the past, had records of Conehead Darner and Mountain Tigertail (Eusynthemis tillyardi) – though the latter was in 1987 and we haven’t found any in recent years.

Big Peninsula

An amazing diversity of dragonflies can be found at this site, a little further east from Warburton. It’s the closest to Melbourne that Iota Ringtail has been recorded – this tends to occur in closely forested and well-vegetated seeps. There’s also the chance to find Alpine Flatwing, which occupies marshes where running water passes through grassed areas. It also has Forest Darner, a particularly beautiful and readily identified darner, with a reddish-brown body and bold spotting. This species can also be found in some lower-altitude areas, including the Dandenongs. Powdered Flatwing also occurs here. Superficially similar to the Common Flatwing, it tends to have a very powdery appearance and is associated with clean, fairly fast flowing water. 

• Iota Ringtail (Austrolestes io)
• Alpine Flatwing (Griseargiolestes intermedius)
• Forest Darner (Austroaeschna pulchra)
• Whitewater Rockmaster (Diphlebia lestoides)
• Powdered Flatwing (Austroargiolestes calcaris)

BUNYIP STATE PARK

Bunyip has turned out to be one of the best remaining lowland freshwater sites in the state. Perhaps due to its sandy soil and lack of historical burning, it’s preserved some beautiful billabongs with a remarkable list of species.

Tynong North Road Dam http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com/locations/-38.0093/145.6168

Currently the only known site in Victoria for Swamp Bluet.

• Swamp Bluet (Coenagrion lyelli)

Buttongrass Dam http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com/locations/-37.9877/145.6443

Currently the only known site in Victoria for Splendid Longlegs (a species that once was found even at Albert Park Lake!) and one of the only sites we know of for Eastern Brown Tigertail. The longlegs are the second smallest Ode in Victoria. Look for them standing on floating vegetation along the marshy edges of the billabong.

• 

  Splendid Longlegs is really uncommon. It was once even found in Albert Park Lake. The most recent records are Gisborne 1906 and Bunyip.

  Splendid Longlegs (Austrocnemis splendida)

• Eastern Brown Tigertail (Archaeosynthemis orientalis)

Other species seen from these locations include:

• Cup Ringtail (Austrolestes psyche) [Quite common along grassy wet margins of standing waterbodies]
• Swamp Tigertail (Synthemis eustalacta) [Quite common along margins of standing waterbodies]
• Black-faced Percher (Diplacodes melanopsis) [Quite common along paths and around edges of waterbodies]
• Eastern Pygmyfly (Nannophya dalei) [A tiny dragonfly that likes damp grassy areas]
• Metallic Ringtail (Austrolestes cingulatus) [Slightly uncommon species. Inhabits grassy wet margins of standing waterbodies]
• Bronze Needle (Synlestes weyersii) [Not uncommon around standing and slow-flowing waterbodies at low altitude]

Alpine Redspot

There is only one other dragonfly we’re aware of within the vicinity of Melbourne that can be readily seen but is quite rare and not likely during the day trip described above. That’s the beautiful Alpine Redspot. Until recently, Alpine Redspot was virtually unknown in Victoria. The larvae inhabit the splash-zones of waterfalls and it seems, even the smallest fall will do. It was recently found at Sherbrooke Falls in the Dandenong Ranges and since then at other waterfalls in the Dandenongs and Yarra Ranges. It is an early emerging species though and so probably won’t be seen beyond mid-December.

• Alpine Redspot (Austropetalia tonyana)

Another good spot for Alpine Redspot is Tooronga Falls near Noogee. http://au.dragonflies.wildiaries.com/locations/-37.8484/146.05