Australian Bluetail

Ischnura heterosticta · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae

Also called: Common Bluetail

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Australian Bluetail
Photo: gailhampshire, CC BY

The Australian bluetail is a small damselfly that flies from October to March. It lives near slow-running or still water, tolerates salty conditions, and occurs across all of Australia including Tasmania.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Females may be green, brown, black or resemble the male colour pattern.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

It is a small damselfly.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found near slow-running or still water and can tolerate salty water.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Active from October through March.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Present throughout mainland Australia and Tasmania.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

It is a common bluetail damselfly in the Coenagrionidae family and the largest of the three Australian Ischnura species.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Australian Bluetail photo 3
Photo: Graham Wise, CC BY

Same family (Coenagrionidae)

Eastern ForktailEastern ForktailIschnura verticalisBlue-tailed DamselflyBlue-tailed DamselflyIschnura elegansFragile ForktailFragile ForktailIschnura positaAzure DamselflyAzure DamselflyCoenagrion puellaFamiliar BluetFamiliar BluetEnallagma civileCommon Blue DamselflyCommon Blue DamselflyEnallagma cyathigerum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischnura_heterosticta

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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