Damselflies & Dragonflies (ODONATA)

Look for lime green stripes Small Damselfly with a bright blue tail light. The uppermost side of the thorax (behind the head) has two lime green stripes. This is the only damsel in South-East Queensland whose male has both a blue tail light and two lime green stripes...

Tail red when young These Damselflies have an orange-red abdomen and yellow-green thorax and head. They stay still, relying mostly on camouflage rather than swift, intermittent flight. They range from Moluccas, New Guinea and Australia, possibly to the Solomon...

Quick flyer The Common Bluetail is a very common Damselfly found everywhere all year round. Can be told apart from the Blue Riverdamsel which has overall more blue on the head and thorax where the Common Bluetail has more black, with small blue dots on the back of the...

Unmistakeable colour pattern Male Pseudagrion aureofrons have an unmistakeable colour pattern, gold bordered by black on both the face and the thorax. The rest of the male's body is greenish blue, with a greenish dumbbell figure on the back of the eyes. Females are...

Good indicator of stream quality Pseudagrion ignifer is the only damsel whose male has a orange or flame-coloured face, as shown in the first picture. The blue colour on the thorax is a result of pruinescence acquired as males age after emerging. The females of the...

Common in ponds Pseudagrion microcephalum is very common in ponds, lakes and drains. The male is bright blue with black bands. A similar species is the Common Bluetail Ischnura heterosticta which has a blacker head and has two blue spots on the upper surface of the...

Mostly rest with wings flat Common Flatwing Austroargiolestes icteromelas sit with wings flat (occasional among damselflies) with a body length greater than 40 mm, very common and abundant. Common Australian Flatwings are medium in size with long and slender bodies,...

Prefers fresh waters well away from the sea A small Damselfly with a body length about 38 mm, rests with wings closed, perches often, has a red, orange, or orange-yellow and black-striped chest but no blue tail light. A golden smokey suffusion in the wings more...

Sits in shady spots A very large, slenderly built damsel. Males reach 60 mm. Females are shorter with more bulbous tips on their relatively thicker abdomen. Southern Whitetips tend to sit in shady spots close to the stream channel along montane streams in rainforest....

Patrols sunny streams A medium-sized dragonfly with a black abdomen, pinched near the base and fringed with orange crescent-shaped marks, the tips of which curve inward. Flies low over water, hovering for periods and conducting sorties mostly close to the bank but...

Prefer good quality streams The Pale Hunter Austrogomphus amphiclitus perches with the tail arched, usually on creekbank vegetation. It has a solid black wingmark, and can be separated from similar dragonflies by the central black stripe on the thorax which is only...

Large, swift, aggressive The Australian Tiger Ictinogomphus australis is a large dragonfly with wingspan 100 mm and length 70 mm. Its eyes are widely spaced on top of the head. The colours, large size and distinctive broad flaps on the underside of the eighth...

Aggressive, strong fliers Teneral Palemouths (newly emerged adults) can be quite variable in appearance, resembling gomphids and other dragonflies such as the Slender Skimmer. They had the characteristic perching habit of bringing the wings forward in two or three...

Wings colourless except for one reddish spot The Wandering Percher is a small to medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of about 55 mm. Found in Australia, New Zealand and some South Pacific islands. The wings are colourless except for a reddish spot at the base of...

Common in hot sunny sites​ The Scarlet Percher Diplacodes haematodes is a dragonfly which occurs throughout Australia (except Tasmania), Timor, New Guinea, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It is locally common in hot sunny exposed sites near rivers, streams, ponds and...

Common in South-East Queensland  One of the most widespread and commonly seen dragonflies in South-East Queensland, the Blue Skimmer Orthetrum caledonicum is found throughout Australia. It brings its wings to rest with two or three forward jerks after alighting. Males...

Bulgy abdomen distinguishing feature The slender skimmer Orthetrum sabina is widespread, being found from south-eastern Europe and North Africa to Japan and south to Australia and Micronesia. It is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85 mm. Adults are...

Males red, females yellow Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60–85 mm. One of the more common species in Brisbane, Fiery Skimmers are often seen at rest and will come to rest quite near people if they sit still at...

Unmistakeable graphic pattern The Graphic Flutterer Rhyothemis graphiptera is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan 70 mm and length 35 mm. It inhabits lagoons, lakes, ponds and swamps. The flight of the genus Rhyothemis is usually fluttering. The abdomen is dark...

Characteristic dark patches at hindwings base The Common Glider Tramea loewii is a medium to large dragonfly with wingspan 85 mm and length 45 mm. Its synthorax is striped yellowish to brown on a purplish background. Males have a red abdomen, and the last two segments...

Found amongst mud and gravel The Yellow-tipped Tigertail Choristhemis flavoterminata is found in New South Wales and Queensland. It has a yellow tail tip somewhat like the tail lights in some damselflies. Recognizable by its slender abdomen, and simple yellow and...