A dark wing female Neurothemis terminata.  Fully matured with eggs inside abdomen ready to be fertilized before laying into water.

We can identify a matured female Neurothemis terminate by :

1)         The four pterostigma has turned reddish from yellow.

2)         The whole abdomen has swollen (with eggs inside) compared to a skinny abdomen when immature.

A closer look at the wing veins of a dark wing female Neurothemis terminata

This hind wing length is 28mm

Total hind wing span is 60mm

Total body length is 36mm

 

(Most of the female are normally clear wings. Dark wings are rear, The color is tea color and remain such that never turn into red color similar to male.)

Comparison of 4 old female of Neurothemis terminata

All these 4 matured female were photographed in Sabah between February to June 2007

The female of  Neurothemis terminata are 2 type : one with clear wings and the other with dark wings. The dark wings female is rarer to find. In my observation in Sabah the ratio is 20:1 that is every 21 female I see only 1 is a dark wing.

A B C D
       
Clear Wings Dark Wings