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

Crocothemis erythraea
      Broad Scarlet
   Malolotja Mlawula

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: Throughout South Africa from sea level to 1600 m a.s.l. To Europe and West Asia.
Body Length: 39-40 mm
Hind Wing Length: 29-30 mm
Habitat: Pools and shallow, still reaches of streams and rivers, usually with an abundance of floating and emergent vegetation, although sometimes rocky.
Flight Period: October to May
Features: Medium-sized, wide-bodied, all bright red, with small basal amber patch on hindwing. Pools and still reaches of rivers throughout South Africa.
Comments: Occurrence in Eswatini confirmed by photo by Kate Braun and Gerhard Diedericks, and SA damselflies and dragonflies checklist (Durban Natural Science Museum, 2000).

47 records, from 4/3/2010 to 4/17/2019

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