Dragonflies

Portugal Wildlife

Guide to the Damselflies and Dragonflies of a Wildlife Reserve in Baixo Alentejo

All Photographs were taken by the website author on the reserve unless otherwise stated.

Species	Photographs	Photographs	Photographs
	Damselflies / Libelhinas
Emerald Spreadwing Lestes dryas Lestes robusto
Migrant Spreadwing Lestes barbarus Lestes mourisco	Female. This species also has bicoloured pterostigmae (see subspecies below).	Female. This individual was seen in a dry woodland copse some distance from a water source.

Small Spreadwing Lestes virens virens Lestes menor
	Mating pair of Small Spreadwings. Male at top of picture. Note that this sub-species has bicoloured pterostigmae. A pterostigma is a cell in the outer wing of an insect that is thickened or coloured and so stands out from other cells - particularly notable in many dragonfly species. They assist in gliding flight by controlling wing vibrations that would slow the speed of the insect.
Western Willow Spreadwing Chalcolestes viridis Lestes dos salgueiros

Common Winter Damsel Sympecma fusca Libelinha hirbernante		Active throughout the year.
	Mating Common Winter Damsels.		Hibernating adults of this species characteristically have blue eyes, as here.
Dainty Bluet Coenagrion scitulum Libelinha da cabeça do gato	Male.	Mating Pair.	Mating pair.
Common Blue Damselfly or Common Bluet Enallagma cyathigerum Libelinha do cogumelo	Male Common Blue Damselfy on Windmill Pond.	Male. This species is found throughout Portugal and is one of the most widespread Damselflies found across Europe to Eastern Asia.	Male.
Goblet-marked Damselfly Erythromma lindenii Libelinha do vaso grego			Male.
	Mating Pair.	Male.	Mating.
		Mating pair.

Small Redeye Erythromma viridulum Libelinha de olhos vermelhos		Three tandem pairs egg-laying in floating vegetation.

Iberian Bluetail Ischnura graellsii Iscnura ibero magrebina	Male.		Male.
	Iberian Bluetails mating. The upper damselfy is the male (blue) and the female is below.	Mating pair.	Female.
	Male. Note: Blue 'tail-light' is restricted to S9.	Mating pair.
	Male.		Male. This species is quite small - only 26-31mm in length.
	Female.	Mating pair.	Male.
	Female.	Male Iberian bluetail. This species is found throughout Portugal.	Mating.
	Female egg-laying (ovipositing). She will lay her eggs in the aquatic plant's stem and the resultant larvae will live in the pond until ready to hatch into an adult damselfy.	Egg-laying while clinging to Stream Water-Crowfoot plant.	Ovipositing.
	Females can be various colours.		Female.
	Dragonflies / Libélulas
Migrant Hawker Aeshna mixta Tira olhos outonal	Male Migrant Hawker.
Blue Emperor Anax imperator Imperador azul	Male. The Blue Emperor is Europe's largest Dragonfly.		Male.
	Female ovipositing.		Female ovipositing.
	Female egg-laying.	Male Blue Emperor patrolling its territory.	Female Blue Emperor caught in web of Banded Garden Spider.
	Female Blue Emperor caught in web of Banded Garden Spider.	Female ovipositing.
		Male.

Lesser Emperor Anax parthenope Tira-olhos menor	Male.		Mating pair of Lesser Emperors.
	Male.
Vagrant Emperor Anax ephippiger Tira olhos migrador	Male.

Western Clubtail Gomphus pulchellus Gonfos comum	Newly emerged Female.	Newly emerged Female Western Clubtail - A very early emergence date of 12th March.
		Female.	Female.
Broad Scarlet or Scarlet Dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea Libélula escarlate	Male.	Female. This species is found throughout Portugal.	Male Broad Scarlet.
	Newly hatched teneral Broad Scarlet at Bulrush Pond- possibly a female.	Female.	Note red legs which distinguish this male Broad Scarlet from a Redveined Darter.
		Female. Note white dorsal stripe on thorax.	Male.
	The Broad Scarlet (36-45mm long) is a little larger than a Redveined Darter (33-40mm long).		Male. The bright green foliage behind the dragonfly is grass growing at the spring which helps fill Windmill Pond. So even in late August this area is wet and alive with dragonflies
	Note the marked red basal suffusion to the wings of this male Broad Scarlet.		Female. This species has expanded its range Northwards from Africa into Southern Europe.They also occur in West Asia.
	Female.	Male Broad Scarlet flying. Photographed in South Africa.	Female Broad Scarlet egg-laying. Photographed in South Africa.
	Male.	Female Broad Scarlet.	Male.
	Male Broad Scarlet. Note the breadth of the abdomen which gives this dragonfly its name.
Black Percher Diplacodes lefebvrii Libélula preta pequena	Male.	Male.	Male.
			Male.
	Male.
Broadbodied Chaser Libellula depressa Libélula achatada
Fourspotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata Libélula de quatro pintas
Blacktailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum Ortétrum de cauda negra	Female.		Female or Teneral male. A Teneral is a newly emerged adult dragonfly that is soft and shiny and lacks the full colouration of a mature adult.
	Male		Male.
	Female hovering above Windmill Pond.		Female egg-laying (ovipositing) in Windmill Pond.
		Male.	Female or Teneral male. Most likely a Female.
Epaulet Skimmer Orthetrum chrysostigma Ortétrum de faixa branca		The white diagonal stripe on the thorax is the 'epaulet'.	Teneral male.
	Tandem mating pair of Epaulet Skimmers.	Male. Note the small yellowish patch at base of hindwing which distinguishes this dragonfly from similar species.
	Male.	Note the characteristic slender and waisted abdomen near its base.
	This species is widespread in Northwest Africa and across the Mediterranean basin from Portugal to Turkey.	Teneral Male. Abdomen not yet fully blue.	Male.
	Teneral Male. Abdomen not yet fully blue.	Male.
Long Skimmer Orthetrum trinacria Ortétrum comprido	Male at Bulrush Pond.	Male. This species is classed as "Potentially Threatened" by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) in its Red Data List.	Male. The Long Skimmer is a mainly African species, that also occurs in Iberia, especially in the South, and parts of Italy. It is quite large: 51-67mm in length.
	Female.	This species was first discovered in Iberia in 1980. It is not common here and mostly confined to Southern Portugal.	Female.
Redveined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii Libélula de nervuras vermelhas		Mating pair of Redveined Darters.	Female. Note the blue underside to the eye.
	Newly emerged Female fell onto pond surface and could not fly free as its wings had not finished drying. But it managed to climb onto a pond plant so that it could dry off and let its wings harden.	Mating pair of Redveined Darters.
	Female. Note black legs with yellow stripes.	Mating pair of Redveined Darters.	Female.
	Female.	Male.	Male.
	Male hovering over Windmill Pond.	Mating while in flight over Windmill Pond.	Male. Showing red wing veins.
	Ovipositing (egg-laying) while flying over Windmill Pond.	Male. Note the black legs
	This species is found throughout Portugal. Female.
	Female.	Mating Pair in tandem.	Male. Showing orange basal suffusion and red veins.
	This species ranges as far as Africa and South-West Asia. Female.		Male.
Southern Darter Sympetrum meridionale Libélula meridional	Note very little black on abdomen. Male.
Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum Libélula cor de sangue	Female perched on Iberian Holm Oak branch - well away from any standing water.
Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum Libélula comum	Male. Note Red Pterostigmas and lack of basal suffusion on wings.	Male. Note black on sides of abdomen.	Newly emerged female.
	Common Darters Egg-laying in Bulrush Pond (October).

Violet Dropwing Trithemis annulata Libélula púrpura	Adult Male.	Adult Male being chased off by Solitary Bee.	Adult Male.
	Newly emerged Teneral drying out while sitting on larval case.	Teneral - still drying.	Newly emerged Violet Dropwing - probably a male.
	Newly emerged Teneral drying out while sitting on larval case.	Adult Male.	Newly emerged Violet Dropwing sitting on its larval case. Probably a female.
		Newly emerged Violet Dropwing sitting on its larval case. Probably a female.
Orangewinged Dropwing Trithemis kirbyi Tritémis âmbar	Immature Male. (Photo by Simon). This is an African species that has only been recorded in Portugal since 2016.

The chart below shows the IUCN Red list categories. The further towards the right hand side, the more serious are the threats to a particular species.

Dragonfly Species List :

	Damselflies
1	Emerald Spreadwing	Lestes dryas	Lestes robusto	Least Concern
2	Migrant Spreadwing	Lestes barbarus	Lestes mourisco	Least Concern
3	Small Spreadwing	Lestes virens virens	Lestes menor	Least Concern
4	Western Willow Spreadwing	Chalcolestes viridis	Lestes dos salgueiros	Least Concern
5	Common Winter Damsel	Sympecma fusca	Libelinha hirbernante	Least Concern
6	Dainty Bluet	Coenagrion scitulum	Libelinha da cabeça do gato	Least Concern
7	Common Blue Damselfly	Enallagma cyathigerum	Libelinha do cogumelo	Least Concern
8	Goblet-marked Damselfly	Erythromma lindenii	Libelinha do vaso grego	Least Concern
9	Small Redeye	Erythromma viridulum	Libelinha de olhos vermelhos	Least Concern
10	Iberian Bluetail or Bluetailed Damselfly	Ischnura graellsii	Iscnura ibero magrebina	Least Concern

	Dragonflies
11	Migrant Hawker	Aeshna mixta	Tira olhos outonal	Least Concern
12	Blue Emperor	Anax imperator	Imperador azul	Least Concern
13	Lesser Emperor	Anax parthenope	Tira olhos menor	Least Concern
14	Vagrant Emperor	Anax ephippiger	Tira olhos migrador	Least Concern
15	Western Clubtail	Gomphus pulchellus	Gonfos comum	Least Concern
16	Broad Scarlet	Crocothemis erythraea	Libélula escarlate	Least Concern
17	Black Percher	Diplacodes lefebvrii	Libélula preta pequena	Least Concern
18	Broadbodied Chaser	Libellula depressa	Libélula achatada	Least Concern
19	Fourspotted Chaser	Libellula quadrimaculata	Libélula de quatro pintas	Least Concern
20	Blacktailed Skimmer	Orthetrum cancellatum	Ortétrum de cauda negra	Least Concern
21	Epaulet Skimmer	Orthetrum chrysostigma	Ortétrum de faixa branca	Least Concern
22	Long Skimmer	Orthetrum trinacria	Ortétrum comprido	Potentially Threatened
23	Redveined Darter	Sympetrum fonscolombii	Libélula de nervuras vermelhas	Least Concern
24	Southern Darter	Sympetrum meridionale	Libélula meridional	Least Concern
25	Ruddy Darter	Sympetrum sanguineum	Libélula cor de sangue	Least Concern
26	Common Darter	Sympetrum striolatum	Libélula comum	Least Concern
27	Violet Dropwing	Trithemis annulata	Libélula púrpura	Least Concern
28	Orangewinged Dropwing	Trithemis kirbyi	Tritémis âmbar	Least Concern