Dark Whiteface (Leucorrhinia albifrons)

• English name: Dark Whiteface
• German name: Östliche Moosjungfer
• French name: Leucorrhine à front blanc
• Dutch name: Oostelijke witsnuitlibel
• Swedish name: Pudrad kärrtrollslända
• Norwegian name: Grå torvlibelle
• Finnish name: Sirolampikorento
• Danish name: Østlig kærguldsmed
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: vážka běloústá
• Slovenian name: Ozibni spreletavec
• Bulgarian name: N/A

Dark Whiteface
(Leucorrhinia albifrons)

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 medium-sized species of (central and) north-eastern Europe
Classification		• suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae
Conservation status		• IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern
Scientific name		• Leucorrhinia albifrons (Burmeister, 1839)
Name genus		• Leucorrhinia: feminine form of an artificial adjective derived from Grk. λευκός = white +; ῥίς; ῥινός = nose
Name species		• albifrons: from Lat. albus, -a, -um = white +; frons = forehead
Distribution		• click or tap the Map button above
Habitat		• bogs, ponds and lakes
Dimensions		• typical body length: 33-39 mm; hindwing: 23-28 mm
Notes		• libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched at the water's edge, waiting for females
Both sexes	Head	➤ the face is white
		• the eyes are grey-brown
	Abdomen	➤ the appendages are white
		➤ the abdomen is only slightly club-shaped
	Wings	• the hindwing bears a small dark patch at the base
		➤ the pterostigma is black
Male	Thorax	• the thorax is dark brown (in immature males: black with a yellow antehumeral stripe and yellow spots on the side)
	Abdomen	• the abdomen is black with a whitish pruinescence on S3-S5 (in immature males: black with yellow spots on S3-S5)
Female	Thorax	• the thorax is dark with a yellow antehumeral stripe and yellow spots on the side
	Abdomen	• the abdomen is black with yellow spots, mainly on S3-S5
Photographs		• all of our photos below were made in Sweden and Finland

LineDrawing: the male's abdomen and the female's abdomen in dorsal view.

Leucorrhinia albifrons (1, 2) and L. caudalis (3, 4); abdomen
Note: in L. albifrons the male (1) and female (2) abdomen are only slightly club-shaped. In L. caudalis both the male (3) and female (4) abdomen are clearly club-shaped.

L. albifrons (top) and L. caudalis (bottom); pterostigma
Note: in albifrons the pterostigma is black on top and underneath. In caudalis it is white on top but often looks dark underneath.