Orthetrum cancellatum
• English name: Black-Tailed Skimmer
• German name: Grosser Blaupfeil
• French name: Orthétrum réticulé
• Dutch name: Gewone oeverlibel
• Swedish name: Större sjötrollslända
• Norwegian name: Stor blålibelle
• Finnish name: Merisinikorento
• Danish name: Stor blåpil
• Italian name: Frecciazzurra puntanera
• Czech name: vážka černořitná
• Slovenian name: Prodni modrač
• Bulgarian name: Черновърхо синилниче
Orthetrum cancellatum
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 which is common throughout Europe except the far north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| 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 | • cancellatum: from Lat. cancellatus, -a, -um = latticed, grated; [cancellus = grid, lattice, grate] ⇒ for the criss-cross pattern of black stripes on the yellow abdomen in females and immature males | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • lakes and ponds with bare banks | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 44-50 mm; hindwing: 35-41 mm | |
| Notes | • libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched at the water's edge, waiting for females | |
| • often perches on the ground | ||
| • very similar to O. albistylum but with a broader abdomen and black appendages | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are green (brown in immature animals) |
| Thorax | • in immature animals the thorax is bright yellow with black lines | |
| Abdomen | • in immature animals the abdomen is bright yellow with black lines | |
| Wings | • the wings are hyaline, without coloured patches | |
| Male | Thorax | • the thorax is dark brown |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is dark yellow with black lines and is covered by a light-blue pruinescence; the last three or four segments are mostly black | |
| ➤ the upper appendages are black | ||
| Female | Thorax | • the thorax is yellow with black lines on the side |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is yellow with black lines laterally | |
| ➤ the appendages are black | ||
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany |
LineDrawing: the male's abdomen and the female's abdomen in dorsal view.
