Tropical-king-skimmers
Guides
Orthemis
Tropical King Skimmers
Orthemis is a genus of large dragonflies in the family Libellulidae, commonly known as Tropical King Skimmers. The genus is primarily Neotropical in distribution, with approximately 28 described species. Males are typically red in coloration while females are brown. The genus exhibits notable chromosomal diversity, including the highest chromosome number recorded in Odonata (2n=41 in O. nodiplaga) and a neo-XY sex-determination system in O. ambinigra. The complete life cycle has been described for O. ferruginea, which includes 17 larval instars.