Persian Bluetail (Ischnura intermedia)
• English name: Persian Bluetail
• German name: Persische Pechlibelle
• French name: N/A
• Dutch name: Perzisch lantaarntje
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: N/A
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Persian Bluetail (Ischnura intermedia)
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 very small species, similar to I. pumilio, which in Europe occurs only on Cyprus | |
Classification | • suborder: Zygoptera (damselflies); family: Coenagrionidae | |
Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Not Evaluated | |
Scientific name | • Ischnura intermedia Dumont, 1974 | |
Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
Habitat | • small, slow-flowing permanent streams and canals | |
Dimensions | • typical body length: 26-29 mm; hindwing: 11-13 mm | |
Notes | • on Cyprus the species is not known to co-occur with I. pumilio | |
Male | Thorax | • the lower side of the thorax and the antehumeral stripe are green or blue |
Abdomen | • S8 and S9 are completely (or at least predominantly) sky blue | |
Wings | • the pterostigma in the forewing is considerably larger than that in the hindwing and it is bicoloured: black on the inside, white on the outside; the pterostigma in the hindwing is uniformly beige/brown | |
Female | Thorax | • in immature females the side of the thorax is bright orange (a colour form known as aurantiaca); with age this orange colour is gradually replaced by green |
• the pronotum has two coloured dots on top | ||
• females lack an antehumeral stripe | ||
Abdomen | ➤ the abdomen is black on top, without a tail-light | |
• compared to I. pumilio the black colouration dorsally on S8-S10 looks much narrower, leaving the fleshy-coloured sides of those segments clearly visible when viewed from above | ||
• the abdomen has a vulvar spine underneath S8 | ||
Wings | • the pterostigma is uniformly beige/brown in both wings | |
Photographs | • all of our photos below were made on Cyprus in May 2016 |