Orthetrum brunneum
• English name: Southern Skimmer
• German name: Südlicher Blaupfeil
• French name: Orthétrum brun
• Dutch name: Zuidelijke oeverlibel
• Swedish name: Blåpannad sjötrollslända
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: Silosinikorento
• Danish name: Sydlig blåpil
• Italian name: Frecciazzurra celeste
• Czech name: vážka hnědoskvrnná
• Slovenian name: Sinji modrač
• Bulgarian name: Речно синилниче
Orthetrum brunneum
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | • a medium-sized species of central and especially southern Europe; absent from the far north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Orthetrum brunneum (Fonscolombe, 1837) | |
| Name genus | • Orthetrum: from Grk. ὀρθός = straight, parallel +; ἦτρον = abdomen ⇒ Newman described Orthetrum species as having the 'abdomen laterally parallel' (as distinct from Sympetrum species, which have the 'abdomen laterally compressed') | |
| Name species | • brunneum: from Lat. brunneus, -a, -um = brown ⇒ for the colouration of immature animals; mature, pruinescent males were initially believed to be a separate species. | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • small, sunny streams | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 41-49 mm; hindwing: 33-37 mm | |
| Notes | • libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched at the water's edge, waiting for females | |
| ➤ noticeably larger than O. coerulescens, with which it often co-occurs in the South | ||
| • often sits on (pebbles on) the ground | ||
| • immature animals are beige-yellow, with white bands on the side of the thorax | ||
| Both sexes | Wings | • for wing venation details click or tap here |
| Male | Head | ➤ the face is a whitish pale blue |
| Thorax | ➤ the thorax is entirely pruinescent light blue; the white bands on the side may still be visible | |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is entirely pruinescent light blue | |
| Female | Thorax | • the thorax is yellow-brown with white bands on the side |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is yellow-brown with a black mid-dorsal line | |
| • the lower edge of S8 bulges | ||
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany and the south of Italy |
LineDrawing: the male's wings in dorsal view.
