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

Trithemis annulata
      Violet Dropwing
   Mlawula

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: Widespread and locally common. Western Cape Province, Eastern Cape Province, coastal KwaZulu Natal (up to 200 m a.s.l.), Mpumalanga lowveld, Limpopo. Common in Kruger National Park. To Europe and Asia Minor. Also Madagascar and Mascarenes.
Body Length: 35-37 mm
Hind Wing Length: 30-31 mm
Habitat: Pools, marshes and sluggish reaches of rivers, with bushes and trees nearby.
Flight Period: November to May
Features: Small to medium-sized, distinctly stout and violet red. Perches on twigs at or near still or sluggish water in warm areas.
Comments: Occurrence in Eswatini confirmed by photo by Kate Braun, Gerhard Diedericks and Wilna Steenkamp.

9 records, from 4/11/2009 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.