Orthetrum taeniolatum
• English name: Small Skimmer
• German name: Zierlicher Blaupfeil
• French name: N/A
• Dutch name: Kleine oeverlibel
• 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
Orthetrum taeniolatum
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 small species which in Europe occurs only in the far south-east | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Orthetrum taeniolatum (Schneider, 1845) | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • slow-flowing rivers and streams, but also shallow lakes | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 33-38 mm; hindwing: 25-28 mm | |
| Notes | • libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched at the water's edge, waiting for females | |
| ➤ noticeably smaller than other Orthetrum species | ||
| • often sits on (pebbles on) the ground | ||
| • immature animals are beige-yellow-brown, with a black-bordered white antehumeral stripe, two white bands on the side of the thorax and a thick black line dorsally on the abdomen | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are brown on top, grey below |
| Thorax | • the side of the thorax bears two white bands bordered by a black line in front; in adult animals (especially males) these white bands may be (partly) obscured by pruinescence | |
| Male | Thorax | • the thorax is entirely pruinescent light blue; the white bands on the side may be obscured |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is entirely pruinescent light blue | |
| Female | Thorax | ➤ the thorax is beige-yellow-brown with a black-bordered white antehumeral stripe and two white bands on the side (which in old females may be partly obscured by pruinescence) |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is yellow-brown with a thick black mid-dorsal line | |
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made on Cyprus and in Turkey |
