Zierlicher Blaupfeil
(Orthetrum taeniolatum)

The Small Skimmer's claim to fame is that it's the smallest Orthetrum species in Europe. In fact, Orthetrum taeniolatum's body length is only about 35 mm. In our experience the species likes to sit on pebbles and rocks (especially right at one's feet, it seems) and as soon as they alight they tend to flip up their abdomen to assume the obelisk position. As in many other species of the genus the mature males are covered in a light-blue pruinescence and at that stage it's really their small size which sets them apart most readily from their congeners. When immature, the males share the same pretty colour scheme as the females, combining black, brown and beige. They also display two whitish bands on the side of the thorax. Another useful feature to identify the species is the brown colour of the top of the eyes. Orthetrum taeniolatum is an Asian species which reaches the Eastern Mediterranean shores of some Greek islands in the Aegean (e.g. Rhodes and Lesbos).

For an overview of the Small Skimmer's distribution in Europe, hover your mouse pointer over the map symbol .
With the authors' permission we have based this map on data published in Kalkman et al. (2010).

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