One of the fastest and most agile dragonflies I’ve seen, this red male was sighted on a riverbank in Alleppey, Kerala. Although not unusually large, this insect stands out due to its bright red body and head. Most of the red dragonflies I have seen (in the genus Orthetrum for the most part) have some combination of colors – azure eyes, black face, blue thorax and red abdomen (O. pruinosum); black eyes, red face, brown thorax and red abdomen (O. chrysis), etc.

C. servilia, however, has a red face, red eyes, red thorax, and red abdomen.Even some of the veins on its wings are tinted. However, the remarkable thing about this species is not only how red the male is, but how different the female is. This specimen was photographed at a much higher altitude than the male pictured above, within the Periyar Tiger Sanctuary.