Helicopter Damselfly (Microstigma rotundata)
Pricing: Dead (spread, as pictured): $60-$80 each , depending on size and quality.
Geographic Range: Peru
View: Top View
Microstigma rotundata is the most colorfully marked of the Giant Damselflies. Females use their long abdomens to flick eggs into suitable, water-filled breeding sites during the rainy season. These sites can be anything that collects enough water, such as tree holes or the axils of bromeliads - even fallen brazil nut pods. Males aggressively defend these oviposition sites. Nymphs are cannibalistic.