Epaulet Skimmer

Orthetrum chrysostigma · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Epaulet Skimmer
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY

Male Epaulet Skimmers are blue, while females and young ones are yellow or brown. They live near a wide range of wet habitats such as rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes in many African and nearby countries. Adult dragonflies catch and eat other flying insects.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Males are blue; females and immature individuals are yellow or brown.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Found in moist lowland forests, savannas, shrublands, rivers, wetlands, swamps, lakes, marshes and springs.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Adults prey on various flying insects.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Occurs across many African nations, plus the Canary Islands and Portugal.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Epaulet Skimmer photo 3
Photo: Robert Taylor, CC BY

Same family (Libellulidae)

Blue DasherBlue DasherPachydiplax longipennisEastern PondhawkEastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollisCommon WhitetailCommon WhitetailPlathemis lydiaWidow SkimmerWidow SkimmerLibellula luctuosaAutumn MeadowhawkAutumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinumCommon DarterCommon DarterSympetrum striolatum

Sources

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

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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