Rests mostly on boulders, and occasionally on twigs or grass in/over water. Short, bee-like flight.
Small, stocky, bright red, blue and black. Middle-elevation, rocky streams and rivers fromWCP to KZNP Midlands.
Localised, WCP (30- 500 m a.s.l.), ECP, KZNP Midlands (mostly 100-1500 m a.s.l.) The subspecies occurs in the mountains on the
Mozambique-Zimbabwe border. P. fitzsimonsi inyangae
Flight period: Oct-Apr
Face: all black. Head above with squarish, central, light orange spot with two forward-pointing brown markings. Postocular spots trapezoidal, light orange.
Eyes: Black
Prothorax: red with black markings.
Synthorax: mostly deep red and black stripes, with a little orange on sides.
Wings: clear but smoky at base.
Pterostigmas: black, deep brown in centre, 1.8-2 mm.
Legs: with flattened tibiae, red on outside, white on inside.
Abdomen: S1-4 mostly bright red. S5 mostly red above, below black. S6 all black. S7-10 above bright, light blue, below black. Appendages black.
Female: striped and reticulate yellowish brown and greyish brown with blackish brown markings.
Shallow, rocky, fast, montane streams with a profusion of tall grass, reeds and herbs on banks.
Chlorocypha consueta is all red, whereas Platycypha fitzsimonsi has a blue abdominal tip. P. caligata has an all blue abdomen. Pterostigmas of P. fitzsimonsi shorter than in the other two specie
Platycypha fitzsimonsi, the boulder jewel or Fitzsimon's jewel is a species of damselfly in the family Chlorocyphidae. It is endemic to South Africa where its natural habitats include wooded and forested streams and rivers.[2]
This is a fairly small species; 29–34 mm long with a wingspan of 46–54 mm. The mature male has an orange-red and black striped thorax and a distinctive red, black and blue abdomen. Females and immature males are dark brown and khaki.[2]
Male
Males
Immature male
Immature male
Platycypha fitzsimonsi, the boulder jewel or Fitzsimon's jewel is a species of damselfly in the family Chlorocyphidae. It is endemic to South Africa where its natural habitats include wooded and forested streams and rivers.
This is a fairly small species; 29–34 mm long with a wingspan of 46–54 mm. The mature male has an orange-red and black striped thorax and a distinctive red, black and blue abdomen. Females and immature males are dark brown and khaki.
