UPDATED CHECKLIST: An Adobe pdf version of the checklist as at December 2018 is available here (click to view/download - approx 10 MB).

View lists of Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies by eighth degree grid square

Diplacodes lefebvrii
      Black Percher
   

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: In many parts of South Africa. To North Africa and many neighbouring islands. The subspecies tetra occurs in Madagascar and Mauritius.
Body Length: 27-33 mm
Hind Wing Length: 20.5-25 mm
Habitat: Pools, swamps, marshes, tarns and occasionally quiet reaches of rivers with an abundance of grasses and other swamp vegetation.
Flight Period: All year, although rare in winter, in warm areas, and November to May at higher elevations.
Features: Very small to small, all black. Grassy pools in many parts of South Africa up to 1800 m a.s.l.
Comments: Occurrence in Eswatini confirmed by photos by Kernst Klimsa, and by SA damselflies and dragonflies checklist (Durban Natural Science Museum, 2000).

1 record, from 12/22/2016

Information extracted from "Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa" by Michael J Samways, which also includes detailed descriptions of each species.