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Blue-winged helicopter (Megaloprepus caerulatus) Canopy Tower, Panama. Dec 31st, 2018 Geotagged,Megaloprepus caerulatus,Panama,Winter Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Blue-winged helicopter (Megaloprepus caerulatus)

Canopy Tower, Panama. Dec 31st, 2018

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  1. View Thibaud Aronson's profile
    Thibaud Aronson
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    You can't tell from the photo, but this damselfly is absolutely massive. Turns out it has the greatest wingspan of any living species! Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
  2. View Jivko Nakev's profile
    Jivko Nakev
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    Great find! You mean of any dragonfly and damselfly species? Posted 6 years ago
    1. View Thibaud Aronson's profile
      Thibaud Aronson
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      Yup! According to wiki, at least. Posted 6 years ago
    2. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
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      Jivko, these are like 5 times lengthier than any typical dragonfly and even more if compared to an ordinary damselfly. They defy belief. I never saw Thibaud's species but did see its cousin:

      Helicopter damselfly - side view, La Isla Escondida, Colombia I couldn't believe my eyes when our guide Manuel pointed out this damselfly whilst it was in flight. All I know about damselflies is that they are thin and short, usually around 5cm in length. I was completely shocked to see one at least 3 times lengthier. And the flight is amazing, its nickname "Helicopter" is not overstated, it truly hovers in the air. They are so large that we could see it glitter through the air about 20m away. <br /> <br /> The rest had already proceeded on the path as this beauty just wouldn't perch. I kept chasing it and went off path quite a bit when it finally settled down for a good 20 seconds. Unfortunately, exactly at this time my flash battery died, and I screwed up both shots. After that I never found it again. I'm still happy that I at least have some record of it, as I consider it one of the most memorable insect we've ever seen.<br /> <br /> There's 3 species in this genus of oversized "helicopter" damselflies. They're described as picking both spiders and prey caught in cogwebs whilst in flight, so very opportunistic thieves. Here's a low quality video of one of the other species in flight:<br /> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLwSKCTl9HM<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/72854/helicopter_damselfly_la_isla_escondida_colombia.html Colombia,Colombia 2018,Colombia South,Helicopter damselfly,La Isla Escondida,Microstigma rotundatum,Putumayo,South America,World

      @Thibaud: So happy you're posting this, they are some of the most spectacular insects in my opinion, and there's not a lot of photo/video material out there.       Posted 6 years ago, modified 6 years ago
      1. View Thibaud Aronson's profile
        Thibaud Aronson
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        My pleasure! They are quite common, at least in central Panama, and made for fun companions in the forest :) Posted 6 years ago

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The Blue-winged Helicopter

"Megaloprepus caerulatus" is a damselfly of the Forest Giant family, found in wet and moist forests in Central and South America. It has the greatest wingspan of any living damselfly or dragonfly, up to 19 centimeters in the largest males. Its large size and the markings on its wings make it a conspicuous species; a hovering "Megaloprepus" has been described as a "pulsating blue-and-white beacon".

As an adult it feeds on orb-weaver spiders in the forest understory, which it plucks from.. more

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Similar species: Dragonflies And Damselflies
Species identified by Thibaud Aronson
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By Thibaud Aronson

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Uploaded Mar 21, 2019. Captured Dec 31, 2018 17:01 in Unnamed Road, Panama.
country flag of Panama Explore Panama 87 67 0
  • Canon EOS 7D Mark II
  • f/7.1
  • 1/197s
  • ISO5000
  • 338mm
Captured in the winter. More winter photos.