Orthetrum chrysostigma (Epaulet Skimmer)
Another pruinose Skimmer species, said to be one of Africa’s most common dragonflies, that has made it up into Spain.
We found our first example at the river running through Jalon which we managed to visit in August, 2013, and very happy to find it we were, too. Similar to O. brunneum (Southern Skimmer) in that males are powder blue with yellowish pterostigmas.
We subsequently found a single example at Livingstone in Zambia, 2022.
Id Notes
- yellowish pterostigma
- mature ♂ – pruinose abdomen, waisted at S3-S4
- thorax side with light stripe outlined dark (the “epaulet”) beneath each fore-wing
I’m sorry to say (but you might be pleased!) that I’m fairly sure that the middle of [the following edited for new layout]
thesethe top 3 shots shows a long skimmer – o. trinacria.I must complement you on your site and photography however.
I have the advantage of a twice yearly visit to Israel where I have shot these and o. sabina on more than one occasion… I am currently in La Brenne looking for whitefaces gomphids etc : no luck yet! Call me Chris
Thanks, Chris, for visiting and taking the time to comment. I’m sorry I have only recently found your comments; I’m afraid I was away in France when you made them and I returned to a family bereavement, so I claim mitigating circumstances.
Right. No, the photo you originally referred to (#4) is definitely O. chrysostigma rather than O. trinacria. If memory serves, I think it was actually the same individual as a couple of the other shots, which clearly display the waisted abdomen typical of O. chrysostigma (missing in O. trinacria).
Thanks again,