📸 PhotoPhoto: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Oriental scarlet
Crocothemis servilia (Oriental scarlet · ショウジョウトンボ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 The male's maximum abdomen length of 3.5 cm is slightly longer than the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (2.65 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 It is a red dragonfly commonly seen by standing water around farmland, such as rice paddies, ponds, and wetlands (Hong Kong AFCD and Singapore NParks).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The oriental scarlet is a relatively large red dragonfly in the family Libellulidae, distributed from the Middle East across tropical and subtropical Asia to New Guinea. The IUCN assessed it as Least Concern (LC) in 2017.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Males are red from head to tail, including the eyes, with a distinct black line along the top of the abdomen. Females are pale brown, and there is a brownish-yellow transparent patch at the wing base. According to Hong Kong data, the male abdomen (including anal appendages) is 24–35 mm and the hindwing is 27–38 mm.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
A sun-loving species, the male perches on the tips of waterside plants to defend its territory and chases away dragonflies of the same or other species. It is commonly seen in human-disturbed open areas and beside vegetated standing water.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
The Hong Kong Biodiversity Database includes Korea in its distribution range. It is also listed on the National List of Species of Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2017) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/163607/80679957
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — ZKQW
- • iucnredlist.org — 80679957
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000037384 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000037384
- • wikidata.org — Q643655
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Crocothemis servilia male by kadavoor.jpg
- • afcd.gov.hk — popup record.php
- • nparks.gov.sg — 5611
- • biodiversitysg.nparks.gov.sg — common-scarlet
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Christoph Schomburg · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Libellulidae)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.