Camacinia othello

Camacinia othello is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae known commonly as the black knight. It is native to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Northern Territory and Queensland in Australia.

Camacinia othello
Male in Cairns, Australia
Female in Cairns, Australia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Clade:	Pancrustacea
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Infraorder:	Anisoptera
Family:	Libellulidae
Genus:	Camacinia
Species:	C. othello
Binomial name
Camacinia othello Tillyard, 1908

It is a large dragonfly with a wingspan of 115 millimeters and an overall length of around 65 millimeters The adult male has dark markings on the forewing and hindwing covering around one third to one half of each wing. The markings on the female differ substantially, with a light brown stripe along the leading edge of each wing to just beyond the node, and light brown marks on each wingtip.

Little is known about its habitat preferences and other characteristics. There are twenty-seven records listed in the Atlas of Living Australia as of January, 2017. It is not considered to be threatened.

Etymology

The genus name Camacinia is possibly derived from the Greek καμάκινος (kamakinos, "made of reed", "cane", or similar), referring to the shape of the abdomen.

The species name othello is likely named for the Shakespearean character Othello, referring to the distinctive dark wing markings.

Gallery

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  Male, dorsal view, Cairns
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  Male underside
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  Male showing brownish body
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  Female wings
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  Male wings