Pantala flavescens

For this Thursday evening I have one of the commonest dragonflies of the world, Pantala flavescens. I have seen this species in South Africa, in Japan, in the US and in Brazil, but it is even more widespread than that. It is absent from Europe, which is strange given its highly migratory nature and the temperatures in Southern Europe.
The larvae apparently cannot survive in water of less than 19 centigrade, so that sets the limit to the area where they are really indigenous. Other places they can only migrate to, to multiply to large numbers, but to disappear again in colder periods. They are normally seen cruising in small to large flocks over fields and in clearings, and because the larvae develop so rapidly, can make good use even of temporary, rain related puddles and ponds.
In Vietnam it is a very common species.

Pantala flaverscens, male