Small Whiteface (Leucorrhinia dubia)

• English name: Small Whiteface
• German name: Kleine Moosjungfer
• French name: Leucorrhine douteuse
• Dutch name: Venwitsnuitlibel
• Swedish name: Myrtrollslända
• Norwegian name: Liten torvlibelle
• Finnish name: Pikkulampikorento
• Danish name: Lille kærguldsmed
• Italian name: Frontebianca comune
• Czech name: vážka čárkovaná
• Slovenian name: Barjanski spreletavec
• Bulgarian name: Рилско графитче

Small Whiteface
(Leucorrhinia dubia)

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 of central, northern and eastern Europe; rare in the south
Classification		• suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae
Conservation status		• IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern
Scientific name		• Leucorrhinia dubia (Vander Linden, 1825)
Name genus		• Leucorrhinia: feminine form of an artificial adjective derived from Grk. λευκός = white +; ῥίς; ῥινός = nose
Name species		• dubia: from Lat. dubius, -a, -um = doubtful, uncertain ⇒ in reference to Vander Linden's doubt whether or not this species was the same as Linnaeus' L. rubicunda
Distribution		• click or tap the Map button above
Habitat		• bogs, ponds and lakes
Dimensions		• typical body length: 31-36 mm; hindwing: 21-27 mm
Notes		• libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched at the water's edge, waiting for females
		➤ smaller and more slender than the similar L. rubicunda
Both sexes	Head	➤ the face is white
		• the eyes are brown
	Abdomen	➤ the appendages are black
	Wings	• the wings bear a small dark patch at the base
		➤ the costa is dark from the base to the node and yellow from the node to the wing tip
Male	Thorax	• the thorax is brown with a red antehumeral stripe and red spots on the side (in immature males: yellow antehumeral stripe and spots)
	Abdomen	• the slender abdomen is black with small red spots on S1-S7 (in immature males: yellow spots)
Female	Thorax	• the thorax is brown with a yellow antehumeral stripe and yellow spots on the side
	Abdomen	• the slender abdomen is black with small yellow spots on S1-S7
Photographs		• most of our photos below were made in Sweden and Finland

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

Leucorrhinia dubia (top) and L. rubicunda (bottom); forewing
Note: in L. dubia the costa is dark from base to node and yellow from node to tip. In L. rubicunda it is yellow from base to tip.