📸 PhotoPhoto: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Globe skimmer
Pantala flavescens (Globe skimmer · ウスバキトンボ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A male abdomen length of 3.5 cm is slightly longer than the diameter of a Korean 500-won coin (2.65 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 It can be seen gliding tirelessly over urban ponds and puddles, and disappears when autumn frost arrives (National List of Species of Korea).
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 globe skimmer is a dragonfly in the family Libellulidae widely distributed across tropical, subtropical, and parts of temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In Korea, it is seen around puddles and urban ponds from the central region southward, gliding tirelessly through the air and gathering in swarms where prey is abundant.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
According to Hong Kong records, the male's abdomen (including caudal appendages) is 29–35 mm and the hindwing is 28–40 mm, while the female's abdomen is 30–33 mm and the hindwing is 39–41 mm. Body color is influenced by habitat conditions (National List of Species of Korea).
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It is a carnivore that preys on small insects. Emerging multiple times from April to October, it is sensitive to cold and suddenly vanishes when autumn frost falls. It sometimes rests on silver grass and abruptly takes flight when startled.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
The National List of Species of Korea records its domestic distribution as nationwide and explains that it lives in puddles and various urban ponds. The IUCN assessed it as Least Concern (LC) in 2016.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2016) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59971/65818523
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 4CGSL
- • iucnredlist.org — 65818523
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000037403 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000037403
- • wikidata.org — Q1477924
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Pantala flavescens-Kadavoor-2017-05-04-002.jpg
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • afcd.gov.hk — popup record.php
- • 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.