Dark-shouldered Skimmer  Orthetrum hintzi  Donkerskofskepper

100 2087 Ezemvelo GP RSA Jan 2016r 1Old Male
100 2093 Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Dec 2015r 5Male
100 2102 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Fresch Male Ezemvelo GP RSA Sept 2017r 2Fresh Male
Short Description:

Dark-shouldered Skimmer, Orthetrum hintzi, is medium sized, fairly slender and all pruinescent blue when mature.

Family Libellulidae,

More Images:
100 2089 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Old Male1 Ezemvelo GP RSA Jan 2016r 3Image Gallery





100 2103 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 2Male
1 4111 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 5Female
100 2109 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 2Female
 
 

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Key identification features:

Male:

  • Length 35 - 38 - 43mm,  wingspan 53 - 57 - 64 mm,  Pterostigmas 3.2 - 3.3mm
  • Face greyish. Labrum greyish cream with median dark brown band. 100 2108 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 14Anteclypeus, postclypeus and side of frons light greyish cream. Frons not spectacled, bluish grey in front, black when viewed from above. Head shiny black and dimpled above with very low peaks.
  • Eyes dull turquoise, greyish below.100 2108 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 14
  • Thorax is all pruinescent blue, slightly darker above when mature. 100 2103 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 2When young the dark shoulder stripe is diagnostic The thorax will darken in a blotchy pattern till all dark before pruinose to all pale grey. .
  • Wings clear to slightly smoky. 100 2107 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Male Close up Ezemvelo Dec 2016r 18Subcostal Ax veins mostly pale. Yellow Costa veins. More noticeable between the nodus and the pterostigmas. Double cells in the Rspl loop may be from 0 to 14 in all wings combined.
  • Pterostigmas very large, narrow, yellowish brown.
  • Abdomen narrow, all pale pruinescent blue. When young resembles the female

Female:

  • Face and eyes light brown. 1 4117 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 19
  • Thorax sides all greenish yellow brown, wide dark brown shoulder stripe present.1 4112 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 8
  • Bases of all four wings with small dark brown to orange splashes.1 4121 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 27
  • Abdomen Segments 1 to 3 mostly yellowish. S 4 to 8 yellowish and dark brown at sides. S 9 and 10 dark brown with yellowish spots.1 4119 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 23 When looked from above the black marks from the side 'wraps" over to the dorsal side.
  • Foliations small, yellow with black edges1 4119 Orthetrum hintzi Dark shouldered Skimmer Female Close up Hertzogberg MP RSA OCT 2020r 23
Habitat:
  • Standing and often temporary waters, seeps and springs, in open landscapes and open areas in forest.Usually with emergent vegetation and often a soft (like muddy) bottom.
  • From 0 to 2400 m above sea level, but mostly below 1800.
Behaviour:
  • It has a fairly slow zigzag flight. Often returning to same perch, usually a grass stem or reed close to the ground and not usually over the water.
Compared with other species:
  • One of three all pale skimmers (the other two being O. abbotti (Little Skimmer) and O. machadoi (Highland Skimmer)). Recognised in the field by its small size and blackish upper surface of frons. The frons has no ‘spectacles’ as in the O icteromelas (Spectacled Skimmer) or O. abotti.
Distribution
Distribution Map June 2020 MapDistribution Map
South africa Political Map Political Map
Topographical Map South Africa Topographical Map
Orthetrum hintzi map afr resultDistriobution map.
Political Map AfricaPolitical Map
Topographical Map AfricaTopographical Map

South Africa:

  • Dark-shouldered Skimmer, Orthetrum hintzi, Donkerskofskepper is found in the eastern and northern parts of South Africa 

Africa:

  • Angola; Benin; Botswana; Côte d'Ivoire; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo-Brazzaville; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia; Gabon; Ghana; Guinee-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Malawi; Mali; Mozambique; Namibia; Nigeria; Republic of Guinea; Republic of South Africa; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Swaziland; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia; Zimbabwe
Further reading:

Websites:
D D IDA Visual Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of South Africa
VM OdonataMAP logo 108x90 RGB trOdonata Atlas of Africa VMU Number 667930
addoAfrican Dragonflies & Damselflies Online
IUCNThe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species   Least Concern