Frecciaerrante (Pantala flavescens)

• English name: Wandering Glider
• German name: Wanderlibelle
• French name: Libellule Globe-trotter
• Dutch name: Wereldzwerver
• Swedish name: Monsuntrollslända
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: Frecciaerrante
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: N/A
• Bulgarian name: Странстващо потапниче

Frecciaerrante
(Pantala flavescens)

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 fairly large species which very rarely occurs in Europe
Classification		• suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae
Conservation status		• IUCN Red List Europe: Not Evaluated
Scientific name		• Pantala flavescens (Fabricius, 1798)
Name genus		• Pantala: from Grk. πᾶς, παντός = all, every +; ἄλη = wandering or roaming without home or hope of rest ⇒ in reference to the species' wandering behaviour
Name species		• flavescens: from Lat. flavescere, pres. part. flavescens = becoming yellow, being yellowish ⇒ Fabricius' description is probably based on immature animals; it contains no reference to the darker, orange-red colouration of the abdomen in mature males
Distribution		• click or tap the Map button above
Habitat		• shallow, temporary puddles and pools
Dimensions		• typical body length: 45-55 mm; hindwing: 38-42 mm
Notes		• gathers in huge migratory swarms, e.g. along the eastern seaboards of America and Australia, and between India and East-Africa
		• on their migratory trek they follow the seasonal rains, using e.g. temporary rain pools to complete the egg-to-adult cycle at an incredible speed; whereas a species of a similar size would normally take two years to complete that cycle, Pantala flavescens manages to do so in about 35 days
		• spends a great deal of time gliding on the wing
		• when resting, hangs rather than sits
Both sexes	Thorax	• the thorax is orange-yellow with thin black lines on the side
	Abdomen	➤ the abdomen is orange-yellow with extensive mid-dorsal black spots
	Wings	➤ the wings are very long and broad
		• the wing tip may bear a small yellow patch
Photographs		• all of our photos below were made in Florida in 2013