Bug FAQOrange Threadtail
Nososticta solida · Order: Odonata · Family: Platycnemididae
Orange threadtails are medium-sized damselflies about 35 mm long. Males have an orange-yellow thorax with black markings and a narrow black abdomen with yellow stripes; females are pale brown with the same black patterns. They live near semi-shaded running water, resting on plants at the water’s edge, and can be seen all year, especially in summer at lower altitudes in Victoria. Their range includes the eastern Australian states of Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Females are the same size as males, pale brown, and share the same black patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They are medium-sized, about 35 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They may be seen all year; in Victoria they appear at lower altitudes in summer, while further north they are common in spring and autumn.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When and where am I likely to see orange threadtails?
Look for them near shaded streams and the water’s edge; they can be seen year-round, especially in summer at lower altitudes in Victoria and in spring or autumn further north.
Source: Wikipedia
What do male and female orange threadtails look like?
Males have an orange-yellow thorax with black markings, a narrow black abdomen with yellow stripes, and brown-yellow at the wing bases; females are pale brown with the same black patterns.
Source: Wikipedia
Where are orange threadtails found in Australia?
They are native to the eastern states of Queensland, New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Platycnemididae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_threadtail
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 2026-10-22.