Selwyn Times: November 21, 2018

SELWYN TIMES Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Wednesday November 21 2018 21
Backyard Critters
Dragonfly pays a visit
Mike Bowie is
an ecologist
who specialises
in entomology
(insects
and other
invertebrates). Each
week he introduces a
new species found in
his backyard at Lincoln.
His column aims to raise
public awareness of
biodiversity, the variety
of living things around
us. Check out the full list
of invertebrates found at
http://naturewatch.org.
nz/projects/backyardbiodiversity-bugs-in-lincoln
TWO WEEKS ago we had an
unexpected visitor. A beautiful
blue spotted dragonfly dropped
in for an hour or so.
Not knowing its identity, I
snapped a photo and put it on to
iNaturalist.org and instantly it
identified it as the blue spotted
hawker or lancer dragonfly,
adversaeschna brevistyla.
It is a large dragonfly, 56-
59mm long, with a wingspan
of 90mm, and it is found in
New Zealand, coastal Australia,
Norfork Island and some Pacific
Islands. Mature males have
INSECT: The blue spotted hawker or lancer dragonfly,
adversaeschna brevistyla, is found in New Zealand, coastal
Australia, Norfork Island and some Pacific Islands.
bright blue eyes, while females
and immature males have
greenish eyes.
They prefer slow moving
streams, pools or larger ponds,
but being a strong flier, they can
be found a long way from water
where they perch on vegetation,
fences or houses. Adults emerge
in October-February.
Females lay cigar-shaped eggs,
1.3-1.5mm long on large sedges,
raupo or floating debris. Mature
larvae are large, 35-39mm long,
and females can be distinguished
by their ovipositor, or egg-laying
appendage.
In Auckland, the life
cycle takes two and sometimes
three years, so development
may be slower in southern
locations.
Both larvae and adults are
predatory.
• By Gordon Findlater
A TRIO of Lincoln footballers
have returned home with bronze
medals from the Pan Pacific
Masters Games on the Gold
Coast.
Gillian Wilson, Rhonda
Jacques and Amanda Smith
were part of the Waikato
Pioneers team that competed in
the division one women’s 40 and
over tournament.
The team largely consisted of
former Waikato players. Wilson
and Jacques were both part of
the Waikato team that won
back-to-back national titles in
the early 1990s.
The team had a reunion three
years ago and planned to reunite
at the World Masters Games in
Christchurch earlier this year
before the football event was
cancelled due to a lack of entries.
A decision was then made
SPORTS
BRONZE:
A trio of
Lincoln
footballers
helped the
Waikato
Pioneers to
third at the
Pan Pacific
Masters
Games.
Lincoln football masters
take out bronze medals
to compete on the Gold Coast.
Wilson and Jacques recruited
Smith to the team, which also
consisted of two Australian
players.
The Pioneers had three wins
and three losses in group play,
finishing fourth and setting up
a bronze medal match with the
Tassie Strikers.
After losing 0-1 to the Strikers
in group play, the Pioneers
turned the tables to take bronze
1-0.
One of the biggest challenges
for the team came in the form
of temperatures around 30 deg
C each day and 80 per cent
humidity. “We’re just now
used to those conditions . . . we
surpassed anything we expected
because the competition was
really tough with a lot of former
Australia players,” said Wilson.
•More sport, page 22
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