When travelling around Uganda, you should take some time to look for and watch dragonflies. Dragonflies in East Africa are more commonly known as "Helicopter Insects” because of their marvellous powers of flight. Indeed, dragonflies are acrobats of the air, depending on their excellent vision, which approaches 360 degrees. Wherever there is water (not too polluted) and a bit of sunshine, you will find these active and brightly coloured insects. Most often, you will find the males patrolling along the shorelines or perching on exposed sticks waiting for females. The males may hold territories for several days, or even weeks, and display courtship behaviour whenever females arrive. Males are capable of removing sperm from a female's previous mate, which is why males often guard females during fertilization and fight furiously with other males. Because of the ease in observing dragonflies and their excellent flying abilities, dragonflies are often referred to as "bird-watchers' insects.” Dragonflies are dinosaurs in the insect kingdom; ancestors of the

present-day dragonflies date back over 300 million years. Fossils from the Carboniferous period were giants with wingspans of 70 centimetres or more. Modern dragonflies (Odonata) are split into three sub-orders, of which two are found in Africa .

Precisely, " dragonfly" refers to the Anisoptera and "damselflies" to the Zygoptera, but “ dragonfly” is commonly used to refer to all Odonates – as in this article.

With over 230 known species, Uganda harbours one of the highest dragonfly diversities in Africa, topped only by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. The reasons for this high diversity are the still- large forest areas and the various eco-regions that meet in Uganda, e.g. the Albertine Rift, Guineo-Congolian, Victoria Basin, Afroalpine and Sudanian Savanna.

Photos

1. Pantala flavescens – "Pantala" or Globe Simmer: The world's most successful dragonfly species. It is pantropical and inhabits most habitats from sea-level to high elevations including deserts. This species is migratory and follows the rains. Most people know this species and if you ask, they will tell you, "when the brown dragonflies come, the rain is not far".
2. Ictinogomphus ferox – Common Tiger-tail: A common species at streams, rivers and lakes in savanna and woodland, often found perching above the water
3. Ictinogomphus ferox – Common Tiger-tail and Trithemis annulata – Violet Dropwing : Like the Common Tigertail, the Violet Dropwing is common at streams, rivers and lakes in savanna and woodland. The shown situation is uncommon and an unusual snapshot.
4. Urothemis edwardsii – Blue Basker: common at lakes in savanna and thornbush, e.g. Lake Victoria. The photo shows a male in the "obelisque"-position, to avoid body overheating in the sun at midday.
5. Trithemis arteriosa – Red-veined Dropwing: Very common at most habitats.
6. Rhyothemis semihyalina – Phantom flutterer: Common at seasonal pools in savanna and thornbush. This species has a papilionid flight, the dark wing markings with violet, black, blue or brown reflection.
7. Palpopleura portia – Portia Widow: A very common, small species, which is found along streams and rivers and at pools and lakes in most habitats except forest.
8. Philonomon luminans – Barbet: This species, coloured like the Red-and-Yellow Barbet, is a striking inhabitant of seasonal pools in dry bush-country.
9. Aeshna ellioti – Highland Hawker: common on highlands, photo shows ovipositing female in a swamp in 3100 m altitude (Aberdare Mts).
10. Phaon iridipennis - Glistening Demoiselle: Common along streams and rivers with gallery forest in savanna and woodland. This species is found in shady areas, e.g. at Mzima Springs, the wings show a violet-greenish iridescent in sunlight
11. Platycypha calligata – Booted Dancing-jewel: Common along streams and rivers in savannah and woodland. Note the inflated and brightly coloured legs (tibiae), which are used for courtship behaviour and for intraspecific fights.
12. Chlorocypha trifaria – Uganda Red-jewel: Commonly along forest streams.
13. Chlorocnemis pauli – Orange-tipped Threadtail: Found in dense vegetation of forest streams and spring-brooks. In the twilight of the forest floor only the bright orange spot might be visible.
14. Pseudagrion massaicum - Crimson Sprite: The Sprites are represented with many species in Uganda and are found in forest, as well as in open habitats.
15. Gynacantha bullata – Black-kneend Dusk-hawker: Crepuscular species of dense forests, flies at dusk, females lay eggs in seasonal pools and swamps in the forest before these fill up with water
16. Hadrothemis camarensis – Tree-hole Jungle-skimmer: Forest species which breeds in water filled tree holes.
17. Tetrathemis polleni – Black splashed Elf: common at shady pools and along rivers with gallery forest
18. Tetrathemis polleni – Black splashed Elf: female ovipositing. Like in all Elfs the eggs are laid above the water on dry vegetation, from which the hatched larvae drop into the water (avoidance of egg predation)
19. Tholymis tillarga – Twister: Mainly active at dusk along forest edges. Sometimes only the milky spots on wings are visible in twilight.
20. Bradinopyga cornuta – Flecked Wall-skimmer: Found along river courses with many granite rock pools, where this species breeds.

OBSERVING DRAGONFLIES IN UGANDA
Even in Kampala, when stuck in the usual traffic jam, you might spot a dragonfly moving swiftly around the cars looking for a mate or food. This is usually the Globe Skimmer, commonly referred to as Pantala (Pantala flavescens: photo 1). It is a brown dragonfly that resides in all tropical and subtropical countries of the world and appears in large numbers just before the rains. After the first rains, Pantala will lay eggs immediately in any available water puddle, where the eggs hatch and the larvae develop in a very short period. Even the glitter of metallic motor cars is inspected for a potential breeding side and you might find a couple trying to lay eggs on the bonnet of such cars. The whole strategy seems to be a waste of offspring, but in the end it pays to be the first coloniser of any temporal water site-- even in desert areas – Pantala is the most successful dragonfly of the world.

Lake Victoria is home to a number of species, including the imposing Common Tigertail (Ictinogomphus ferox: photo 2) or the pinkish coloured Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata: photo 3). Along the shorelines of Lake Victoria, and also other lakes, you may find dragonflies with banded wings following you close to the ground. This hunting behaviour of the Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta) is similar to that of Cattle egrets: they are feeding on small insects disturbed by humans or other larger mammals. In the Botanical Gardens of Entebbe you may encounter large numbers of the Royal Cruiser (Phyllomacromia contumax) hunting for prey, which usually consists of other insects, including smaller dragonfly species as well. Close to the shoreline, deep blue dragonflies, like the Blue Basker (Urothemis edwardsi: photo 4) or the bright red Red-veined Dropwing (Trithemis arteriosa: photo 5) adopt the so called “obelisque position” (see photo 4) to avoid overheating in the midday sun. The raising of the abdomen vertically to the sun reduces the body surface heated directly by the sun.

In open pools, swampy areas or seasonal water sites, males of the glittering Phantom Flutterer (Rhyothemis semihyalina: photo 6), the Portia Widow (Palpopleura Portia: photo 7) and the Barbet (Philonomon luminans: photo 8) perch while waiting for females. In higher elevations, the Highland Hawker (Aeshna ellioti: photo 9) can be quite common.

Along rivers and streams in open or bushy country, the Glistening Demoiselle (Phaon iridipennis: photo 10) is common, while its relatives, for example the Sapphire Demoiselle (Umma saphirina) dwell in forest habitats. Also along rivers and streams you will find Dancing-jewels (Platycypha) and Red-jewels (Chlorocypha). Most of these species inhabit forests or forest edges and only the Booted Dancing-jewel (Platycypha caligata: photo 11) inhabits streams in open areas as well. All Dancing- and Red-jewels are very colourful and males of the Dancing-jewels have a striking courtship behaviour: whenever spotting a female, they approach and "wave" with their brightly red and white coloured legs to attract her attention. Very common in Uganda’s forests is the Uganda Red-jewel (Chlorocypha trifaria: photo 12), which has a bright red abdomen and face and pale blue head. The delicate Threadtails (Chlorocnemis) are found in the dense vegetation overhanging streams and rivulets in forests. Though difficult to find, some species are quite common in Uganda, such as the Orange-tipped Threadtail (Chlorocnemis pauli: photo 13). Most species belonging to the Sprites (Pseudagrion: photo 14) inhabit running waters as well, but here forest and open habitats are occupied equally.

Uganda’s forests harbour a rich diversity of dragonflies, though many of them are less colourful and more difficult to find than their openland relatives – the Dancing- and Red-jewels being an exception. The Duskhawkers are a species with a frequently dull green colour, which is a perfect camouflage to disappear in the twilight of the forest floor. They usually fly around dense vegetation close to the earth and become more active at dusk or when it starts raining. The Black-kneed Duskhawker (Gynacantha bullata: photo 15)is very common in most of Uganda’s rainforests and males may be found hovering over margins of forest pools for some minutes before moving swiftly on. In most forests, several species of the Jungle-skimmers can be found. These are robust skimmers which either breed in puddles on the forest floor, like the Robust Jungle-skimmer (Hadrothemis coacta) or in water-filled tree holes, like the Tree-hole Jungle-skimmer (Hadrothemis camarensis: photo 16). Less conspicuous are the black and yellow coloured Elfs (Tetrathemis), which breed in small forest pools. One exception here is the Black-splashed Elf (Tetrathemis polleni: photo 17), which has ventured into more open habitats and developed a blue body colouring. All females of the Elfs place the eggs on sticks or roots overhanging a body of water, from which the larvae drop into the water (photo 18).

The Twister (Tholymis tillarga: photo 19) is commonly found near forest edges. During the day this species usually settles in dense vegetation and starts patrolling water-sites from late afternoon until it gets dark. The Flecked Wall Skimmer (Bradynopyga cornuta: photo 20)is commonly found around rocky pools in river beds, where it likes to settle on the stones. It has a perfect camouflage for granite rocks and "disappears" once settled.

INDICATORS OF WETLAND QUALITY
Dragonflies are excellent sentinels for the environmental health of wetland habitats and are commonly used as indicator species for water and habitat quality in Europe. The larvae are highly sensitive to water quality, pollution and the condition of their aquatic habitats, such as bottom composition and vegetation. Adult habitat selection is strongly dependent on vegetation structure, including amounts of shade. As a consequence, dragonflies show strong responses to habitat change, such as forest thinning and increased erosion. Many common species prevail in disturbed or temporary waters, while pristine streams, seepage and swamp forests harbour a wealth of more vulnerable, often localised species. Different ecological requirements are linked to different colonisation abilities. Sensitive species with narrow niches disperse poorly, while pioneers of temporal habitats (often created by disturbance) are excellent colonisers. For this reason, Odonata have the potential to help evaluate habitat connectivity. Dragonflies are an easy-to-study group to monitor the overall biodiversity of aquatic habitats.

Whether helping to test environmental quality or simply sprinkling Uganda’s sky with their jewelled bodies, Africa’s dragonflies are an important part of its wildlife. Take time out of your days in traffic and even your visits to the national parks to get a closer look at these flying beauties.