Pantala flavescens
Pantala flavescens is a species of the Odonata Order. The Odonata Order is often
called the dragonfly. Odonata comes from the Greek, odontos which means tooth (referring to the teeth in the mandible /
jaw). This animal belongs to the sub-order anisoptera, where this sub-order has front wings that are not congruent with rear
wings, the size of the rear wing is wider. Anisoptera dragonfly wings spread
when the dragonfly is alighted. The male anisoptera dragonfly has 3 tufts, two
superior / upper tufts (called serki) and one inferior / lower tuft (called
epiprok) (Borror et al, 1979). Pantala flavescens
belong to the family Libellulidae where this family contains the common
dragonflies we see. The name Pantala comes from Greek, pant means originally and ale
means wandering or exploring without a house or hope for rest. This illustrates
the cosmopolitan distribution of this genus. The word flavescens means to be yellowish. This refers to the colour of
female dragonfly species and young males are pale orange (Fielder &
Martens, 2008).
Like
insects in general, adult Pantala dragonflies have 3 main body parts, namely
the head, thorax, and abdomen. What makes dragonflies easily recognized and
distinguished from other insects is dragonflies with 2 pairs of elongated wings
(Setiyono et al, 2017). Dragonfly wings are webbed and appear to have a
net-shaped frame. In Pantala flavescens
the rear wing length ranges from 31-41 mm (Sigit, 2013). On the wingtips, there
is also a pterostigma that functions as a counterweight when flying. Females
have a yellow pterostigma, while males have a red pterostigma (Setiyono et al,
2017). At the tip of the wing there are special features dark (Orr, 2005). Both
pairs of Pantala flavescens wings are
transparent with black venation. The base of the wings is slightly yellow
(Setiyono et al, 2017). A newly completed male metamorphosis dragonfly has
thorax and abdomen golden yellow and will turn reddish with age. Whereas Pantala flavescens of the female thorax
abdomen are pale yellow (Sigit, 2013). Like dragonflies in general, Pantala flavescens has three pairs of
legs attached to the bottom of the thorax. A pair of feet attached to the
prothorax and two pairs of feet attached to the bottom of the synthorax.
Dragonfly legs consist of three segments equipped with bristle. Both male and
female Pantala, the upper abdomen has a black line that widens and forms
patches on the 8-9 segment (Sigit, 2013). In the Pantala
dragonfly head there are large compound eyes. On the male Pantala dragonfly
compound eyes are red on the upper side and gradually greenish yellow on the
lower side. Whereas in females compound eyes are pale pink on the upper side
and gray on the lower side (Setiyono et al, 2017).
Pantala
flavescens can be found in all continents in the
world except Antarctica. This species is a mandatory migrant species, where
researchers have noted the migration is already between continents. This
species is found in all Afrotropic countries, including Madagascar. This
migrant species is found in all African countries, except Libya and Western
Sahara. In Europe this species is found in the Arabian Peninsula of the Middle
East and Southern Europe. This species is found throughout Australia. In
America this species exists throughout neotropics including the Caribbean,
Galapagos, throughout the United States and Canada. In Asia this species is
found in central Asia, Siberia, Kamatcha and Japan. In Indonesia, which is a
tropical country, this species is very abundant. Due to its abundance in the
world, Pantala flavescens is
classified as a species with a low risk level (LC) according to IUCN (https://www.iucnredlist.org/).
The abundance of Pantala
flavescens in tropical countries like Indonesia is related to their lives
that breed in permanent water or water during the rainy season, for example in
ditches or wetlands that occur due to rainwater (https://www.iucnredlist.org /). Because dragonflies, including insects
that have incomplete metamorphosis, where the phase of life consists of naiad
phase and adult phase. During the naiad phase, Pantala flavescens dragonflies are in the water, whereas in the
adult phase they are dragonflies, as we know, which are free-flying using two
pairs of wings on land. The presence of water or wetlands is beneficial for the
survival of these dragonflies. Naiad of this species can live in temporary
ponds, permanent ponds or artificial ponds, in drainage ditches, in rivers, in
rice fields, or other wetlands with vegetation or without vegetation on
condition that food is available for the dragonfly. The food of dragonflies naiad
is in the form of small fish or insect larvae from other insects. At the time
of molting or turning into an adult dragonfly, this dragonfly naiad will rise
to vegetation or rocks that are on the edge of a pond or the water slowly to
then experience changes in body shape. These changes generally occur at night
before morning. At that time it is suitable for naiad to do molting because of
the humidity and temperature in the morning. Conditions when molting is a
condition that is very vulnerable to the dragonfly.
Pantala flavescens, including predators that can prey on other insects that are smaller or the size of his body. This is supported by a strong jaw to tear prey. Large compound eyes consisting of thousands of single eyes also support Pantala flavescens to see the movement of prey and predators from various angles. In addition, wings and three strong pairs of legs allow these dragonflies to attack their prey and eat it when flying. The odonata's feet functions like a basket for prey insects, before being moved into the mouth (Silsby, Jill. 2001). In the rice fields he preys on animals such as plant hopper which are agricultural pests. This becomes interesting to be used as a solution to eradicate planthopper pests that are biologically environmentally friendly to reduce the use of chemical insecticides. Because all this time the use of chemical insecticides has an impact on polluting the aquatic environment or even killing non-target insects. In addition, this dragonfly can also prey on mosquitoes. Pantala flavescens as predators of adult mosquitoes and predators of mosquito larvae during the naiad phase. As we know, there are several species of mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypty where they are vector carriers of dengue fever for humans. God created the dragonflies Pantala flavescens as one of the mosquito predators where the Pantala population can reduce the mosquito population, especially the vector-carrying mosquitoes.
In contrast to other dragonfly species which are
solitary living dragonflies, Pantala flavescens
are often found flying in groups. This dragonfly horde can reach hundreds of
individuals (Setiyono et al, 2017). These dragonflies are usually found
clustered in open land such as rice fields, river banks, fields, grasslands,
bushes until around the lawns both in the highlands and lowlands. These
dragonflies fly higher than other odonata species and rarely appear to alight.
These dragonflies are referred to as 'Wandering Glider' and 'Globe Skimmer'
wanders because of their ability to fly across continents. According to
research by Keith A. Hobson et al, 2012 the migration of Pantala flavescens reached 18,000 km which has crossed the
continent. Its wide wings allow Pantala
flavescens to glide and float in the air at suitable thermals for long
periods.
Pantala flavescens
is one of more than a thousand species of wealth in Indonesia that odonata must
protect. One way to maintain the sustainability of the Pantala is to protect
the waters especially the river in Indonesia from pollution. Because water
pollution can threaten the lives of dragonfly naiad so that it can cause
extinction. Small things we can do such as not throwing garbage into the river,
using laundry soap and detergent that is biodegradable and so forth. It is the
duty of a scientist to study and preserve the earth and its environment in
order to remain sustainable one of them by preserving the habitat of Pantala flavescens.
Borror,
D. J., D.N. Delong & C. A. Triplehorn. 1979. Pengenalan Pelajaran Serangga. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University
Press.
Fielder,
H. & A. Maertens. 2008. The Meaning of Scientific Names of Seychelles Dragonflies
(Odonata). Phelsuma Vol. 16:49-57.
Garrison,
W., Rosser, et al. 2006. Dragonfly Genera
Of The New World An Illistrated And Annotated Key To The Anisoptera.
America : University Press All rights reserved.
A.
Hobson, K., R. Charles, Aderson., David X. Soto., Leonard, I. Wassenaar. 2012. Isotopic
Evidence That Dragonflies (P a n t a l a f
l a v e s c e n s ) Migrating through the Maldives Come from the Northern
Indian Subcontinent. Plos One. Volume 7
Setiyono,
J., S. Diniarsih, E. N. R. Oscilata & N. S. Budi. 2017. Dragonflies of Yogyakarta, Jenis Capung Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta:
Indonesia Dragonfly Society.
Sigit
Rhd, Wahyu. Dkk. 2013. Naga Terbang
Wendit. Malang: Indonesia Dragonfly Society.
Silsby,
Jill. 2001. Dragonflies of the World.
Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
https://www.iucnredlist.org/
diakses
pada 13 April 2020 pukul 19.52 WIB.
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