riverbank dragonfly

The riverbank dragonfly is the smallest of the riverbank dragonflies in the Netherlands. The abdomen is narrower than that of the common sand dragonfly (Orthetr...
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The riverbank dragonfly is the smallest of the riverbank dragonflies in the Netherlands. The abdomen is narrower than that of the common sand dragonfly (Orthetrum cancellatum) and the southern shore dragonfly (Orthetrum brunneum). The pterostigmata are ocher yellow to light brown and the eyes are blue-grey. The upper side of the thorax is (usually) brown with two clearly defined light shoulder stripes. Colored males have a completely blue frosted abdomen, (almost) without a black tip. Some males develop blue frosting to a greater or lesser extent on the thorax, which causes the shoulder stripes to fade. The face is brown. Young males and females have an ocher to brown abdomen, with a thin black longitudinal stripe down the middle. The body length of adult animals is between 36 and 45 millimeters.
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