Primitive Dragonfly, Believed to Be Extinct 4 Decades Ago, Has Unique Sexual Life

A researcher from University of Vigo, Spain has discovered that a rare species of dragon fly believed to be extinct in four decades ago are actually far from being extinct and has a unique sexual behavior.

Previously, the Hemiphlebia mirabilisis considered to be extinct until it re-emerged in 2009.

According to a study published in the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity, this species of dragon flies were presumed to be extinct due to their low mobility and short life span. Life expectancy for males was about a weed, while females can live up to four days.

"This low mobility, together with its enigmatic coloring and the limited accessibility of its habitat could explain how these important populations have remained unnoticed until a very short while ago," explained Adolfo Cordero-Rivera, author of the study, in a statement.

What is more fascinating about these dragonflies is not their high prevalence, but their unusual sexual behavior.

Cordero-Rivera observed frequent abdominal flicking displays and fast rotations over the perching support for both sexes. The researcher can't confirm if the flicking behavior is a courtship display, but he noted that both sex practice the flicking movement even with the absence of reproductive interaction.

"I observed 79 females for periods of 10 minutes between 9:00am and 7:00pm, and the only clear conclusion is that oviposition will not be in tandem, because in all cases males and females separated immediately after copulation," said the researcher in a press release.

A separate study, also conducted by Cordero-Rivera, noted that a male Hemiphlebia mirabilis displays abdominal flicking during an elaborate precopulatory courtship. On the other hand, the females use similar display to reject male attempts to form tandem, but eventually signal receptivity by a particular body position.

During courtship, males immobilized females using their legs. The researcher observed that the copulation between these dragon flies only last for about 4 to 19 minutes and occurs in two sequential stages.

In the first stage, male extracts part of the sperm of their rivals from inside the body of the female. The male then inseminate the female during the second stage. This suggests that this much specialised behaviour is very old in the evolution of the Odonata, possibly dating back to the Permian.