Small Whiteface
(Leucorrhinia dubia)

The five European species of Whitefaces (genus: Leucorrhinia) can be divided into two groups: those whose males are black and red and whose appendages are black, and those whose males are black (albeit partially covered with a whitish pruinescence) and whose appendages are white. The females and young males are always black and yellow and their appendages too are either black or white depending on the species. All five species have a largely North-Eastern European distribution, with the Small Whiteface (Leucorrhinia dubia) perhaps venturing furthest South. The Small Whiteface (Leucorrhinia dubia) is indeed the smallest European species of the genus. Its main distinguishing features include the reduced size of the red (or yellow) abdominal spots, its relatively slender abdomen, and its two-coloured costa, i.e. the leading edge of the wing, which is dark from the base to the node and a brownish yellow from the node to the tip.

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