Bug FAQGoldtail
Allocnemis leucosticta · Order: Odonata · Family: Platycnemididae
Also called: Gold-tail Damselfly
The Goldtail damselfly is a medium-sized insect with a wingspan of about 50 mm (2 in). It has a blue face that reaches below the eyes, a long dark abdomen with narrow white bands, and smoky yellow-brown wings marked by conspicuous white pterostigmata.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The face is blue and extends below the eyes; the abdomen is dark with narrow white bands on each segment; the wings are smoky yellow-brown with white pterostigmata near the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Wingspan is about 50 mm (2 in), making it a medium-sized damselfly.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found near streams and rivers in wooded areas, preferring clear, shallow water and shady, forested habitats.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are most active from October to April (spring to early autumn). After mating, the male holds the female behind the head while she dangles vertically with her abdomen submerged to lay eggs in rotten twigs.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species is most active from October through April, covering spring to early autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Endemic to South Africa and Eswatini.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Males and females look very similar; the only reliable difference is the tip of the thorax, which is gold in males and may be gold, pale blue, or white in females.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When are Goldtail damselflies active?
They are most active from October to April, covering spring to early autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell male and female Goldtails apart?
Look at the tip of the thorax: it is gold in males and can be gold, pale blue, or white in females.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the Goldtail damselfly live?
It lives near clear, shallow streams in shaded, wooded areas of South Africa and Eswatini.
Source: Wikipedia
What does a Goldtail damselfly look like?
It has a blue face extending below the eyes, a dark abdomen with narrow white bands, and smoky yellow-brown wings with white pterostigmata near the tip.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Platycnemididae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allocnemis_leucosticta
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.