Copera marginipes, vitatta

Family Platycemididae

Copera marginipes
(Rambur, 1842)
Elevation 200-300m
Abdomen length 28-31mm

The common name is Yellow Feather Legs. Closely related to C. vittata, this species has bright yellow legs with expanded tibias. The pale bluish-white inferior appendages are nearly 4x the length of the small caudal (superior) appendages. The habitat is usually on slow-flowing rivers or muddy streams and lakes. White forms exist for both teneral males and females.

Male

Copera vittata
Selys, 1863
Elevation 200m
Abdomen length 28-34mm

Long dark yellow-orange spidery legs without enlarged tibias, the longer caudal pointed anal appendages are ID indicators. There are several Copera sp that closely resemble each other and probably need a bit of work to separate them. C. vittata assamensis, C. vittata vittata, and C. marginipes are found in many regions across India and Southeast Asia. They are usually seen on slow or even slightly stagnate water and often in dark damp forested areas. Immature forms can be whitish in color and confusing at first glance.

Male

Female