Biology:Neurothemis stigmatizans

Neurothemis stigmatizans
	Painted grasshawk male, Cairns
	Painted grasshawk female, Cairns, Australia
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Infraorder:	Anisoptera
Family:	Libellulidae
Genus:	Neurothemis
Species:	N. stigmatizans
Binomial name
	Neurothemis stigmatizans; (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
	Guérin-Méneville, 1830 Fabricius, 1775 ; Brauer, 1867 Libellula oculata ; Libellula stigmatizans Fabricius, 1775 ; Libellula bramina Neurothemis diplax ;

Short description: Species of dragonfly

Neurothemis stigmatizans, known as the painted grasshawk,^[1] is an Australian species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.^[4]^[3] The genus Neurothemis is distributed from India to the western Pacific. This species is found in northern Australia in an arc from the southern Queensland border to Broome, Western Australia.

Neurothemis stigmatizans is a medium sized dragonfly (wingspan 60-85mm) which inhabits still waters in the vicinity of grassy areas. The male abdomen is reddish-brown with a lighter dorsal stripe, his wings have deep reddish-brown markings that extend past the nodus, with paler contrasting veins. The female is pale greenish-yellow with a dark dorsal stripe and side stripe; her wings are mostly hyaline with a dark smudge beyond the nodus and dark wingtips. The pterostigma of both sexes is pink or pale coloured.^[5]

Etymology

The genus name Neurothemis combines the Greek νεῦρον (neuron, "nerve" or "vein") and -themis, from Greek Θέμις (Themis), the goddess of divine law, order and justice.^[6]

The species name stigmatizans is derived from the Latin stigmatizo ("to mark with a spot or brand"), likely referring to the distinctive markings on the wings.^[2]^[6]