Bluetails
Family Coenagrionidae Kirby, 1890
Distribution Worldwide
- 70 species, favouring exposed stagnant water bodies.
Distribution in Africa and surrounding Islands
- Eight species inhabit northern Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius.
- One species in most of tropical Africa: I. senegalensis.
Habitat in tropical Africa
- Well distributed. Tolerant of saline and polluted water (e.g. near hot springs). Absent from most forested areas
General identification features
- Ischnura males are small (hindwing 13-18 mm), dark damselflies with a conspicuous blue ‘tail-end’.
- Easily recognised by their dissimilar pterostigmas: black or bicoloured in forewing, but plain grey or brownish in hindwing.
- Immature females can be conspicuously orange.
Images
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Credit
[Adapted from Dijkstra & Clausnitzer 2014]