Crocothemis sanguinolenta (Small Scarlet)

This is a cousin of C. erythraea which is common in France and with which we are very familiar indeed. These characters were the first wildlife that greeted us as we arrived at the Waterberg Resort in Namibia. Was I ever happy? 😉

C. sanguinolenta looks quite similar to C. eryhtraea, though in my view not quite as vivid red. It does, as the name implies, look noticeably slighter. The male’s abdomen is not as broad and it seems to have more dusky markings on the dorsal side.

Id Notes

• Pterostigmas start yellow but can take on a reddish tinge with age
• both sexes have yellow patches at root of hind-wing
• ♀ vulvar scale points backwards rather than vertically (as in C. erythraea)

male

immature male

female