Navy Dropwing

Trithemis furva · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

Also called: Dark Dropwing, Lowland Spectrum-blue Dropwing

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Navy Dropwing
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA

The Navy Dropwing (Trithemis furva) lives in many African countries and Madagascar, occupying forests, savannas, shrublands, rivers and various freshwater marshes. Mature males look a lot like those of the similar T. dorsalis, but can be told apart by the shape of the hamule in the secondary genitalia.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Mature male T. furva are often confused with T. dorsalis, yet the hamule shape of the secondary genitalia differs between them.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

It inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry and moist savannas, dry and moist shrublands, rivers, and both permanent and intermittent freshwater marshes.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is found across many African nations including Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and others, as well as Madagascar.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

In much of its range, mature males can be mistaken for the similar T. dorsalis.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Navy Dropwing photo 3
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA
Navy Dropwing photo 4
Photo: Alandmanson, CC BY-SA
Navy Dropwing photo 5
Photo: Alandmanson, CC BY
Navy Dropwing photo 6
Photo: yakovlev.alexey from Moscow, Russia, CC BY-SA 2.0

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/Trithemis_furva

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.

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