Odonate Fauna of Rajasthan, India with Links to Arabia and Himalaya - Aquatic Ecosystem: Biodiversity, Ecology and Conservation - page 123

Male: Abdomen 15.0-18.0, hindwing 16.0-
21.0 mm (Fraser 1936 ; Subramanian 2009 ),
abdn. 17.5, fwing. 21.0, hwing. 20.0 mm (Prasad
2004b ).
Female: Very similar to male.
Abdomen 15.0-18.0, hindwing 17.0-22.0 mm
(Fraser 1936 ; Subramanian 2009 ), abdn. 18.0,
fwing. 20.5, hwing. 20.0 mm (Prasad 1996a , b ),
abdn. 18.0, fwing. 21.0, hwing. 20.0 mm (Prasad
2004a ), abdn. 16.5, fwing. 20.5, hwing. 20.0 mm
(Prasad 2004b ).

17. Brachythemis contaminata (Fabricius,

1793)

English Name
Ditch Jewel.

Description
Male: Face olivaceous, eyes olivaceous-brown/
bluish-grey, thorax olivaceous-brown or reddish-
brown with two reddish-brown stripes, abdomen
red, wings transparent with reddish venation and
a broad orange patch extending from base to
rusty pterostigma and legs brown.
Abdomen 18.0-21.0, hindwing 20.0-23.0 mm
(Fraser 1936 ; Subramanian 2009 ), abdn. 18.0,
fwing. 25.0, hwing. 24.0 mm (Prasad 2004b ),
abdn. 19.0, fwing. 23.5, hwing. 23.0 mm (Prasad
2007 ).
Female: Face creamy, eyes brown/bluish-grey,
thorax greenish-yellow with brown stripe above,
abdomen olivaceous-brown with black stripe
above and wings transparent without orange
patch. Abdomen 18.0-20.0, hindwing 22.0-
25.0 mm (Fraser 1936 ; Subramanian 2009 ),
abdn. 16.0, fwing. 25.0, hwing. 24.5 mm (Prasad
1996a , b ), abdn. 15.5, fwing. 24.0, hwing. 23.0
(Prasad 2004b ), abdn. 18.0-19.0, fwing 25.0-
26.0, 23.0-25.0 (Prasad 2007 ).

Distribution

Rajasthan
Pichola Lake, Udaipur; Lake Kailana, Jodhpur;
Girab, Barmer dist., Desert National Park;
Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur; in and
around Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary, Sirohi
district; Jaisamand, Alwar dist.

India
Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh
(Bastar dist.), Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat
(Ahmedabad dist.), Himachal Pradesh (Kangra
and Sirmour dists. and Renuka Wetland),
Jharkhand (Dhanbad), Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Punjab
(Hoshiarpur dist.), Sikkim, South India,
Uttarakhand (Dehra Dun, Nainital, Pauri and
Uttarkashi dists.), Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
(Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Kolkata).

Distribution

Rajasthan
Pichola Lake, Udaipur; Thar Desert at Osian and
Lake Kailana, Jodhpur; Keoladeo National Park,
Bharatpur; Jhapog, Sardar Samand and Bhilwara;
in and around Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary and
Nikki lake in Mt. Abu, Sirohi district.

Habitat
Swampy and well-vegetated open habitats.

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern.

India
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh,
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh
(Bastar dist.), Eastern Himalaya, Delhi, Goa,
Gujarat (Baruch, Kheda, Surat and Surendranagar
dists.), Himachal Pradesh (Bilaspur, Kangra,
Sirmour and Una dists. and Renuka Wetland),
Jharkhand (Dhanbad), Karnataka, Kerala,

Threats
Drainage and destruction of swampy habitats
may be a potential threat in some parts of its
range.
Genus: Brachythemis Brauer, 1868
(Subfamily: Sympetrinae Tillyard, 1917)