Black Faced Percher: Diplacodes melanopsis

Location: seasonal swamp, still water,

Bunbury, Western Australia

Season: Spring/Summer

Class: Insecta 

Order: Odonata 

Family: Libellulidae 

Genus: Diplacodes

Diplacodes melanopsis

Black Faced Percher is a medium sized dragonfly measuring about 5 cms in length. It has a bright scarlet red body. The eyes, head and the thorax are dark red to black, hence the name Black Faced Percher. The abdomen has black markings on each segment on the bright red background. It can be (easily) distinguished from the other red coloured dragonflies, the Scarlet Percher and Wandering Percher by the markings on the abdomen. While the Black Faced Percher has dark (heart shaped) markings on each abdominal segments, the Wandering Percher has smaller less prominent markings and the Scarlet Percher has no markings at all. The Black Faced Percher, of course, has a black head and thorax which are red in the other two.

This Black Faced Percher's perching pattern is parallel to the long grass but perpendicular to ground. The Scarlet Perchers perch mostly parallel to the ground. One other difference is the wings of the Scarlet Percher has red patch at the base of the hind wings. The Black Faced Percher has clear wings with black pterostigma and a small area of red patch very close to the border of both hind and the fore wings.

Reference: Brisbane Insects