Pied Paddy Skimmer

Neurothemis tullia · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

Also called: Pied Parasol

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Pied Paddy Skimmer
Photo: Christopher, CC BY

How to recognize it

Its wings are clear on the outer half and dark steely blue-black on the inner half, with a milky white patch near the tip.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Adults perch very close to the ground and have a weak flight.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Found in South and Southeast Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Females look very different from males in body colour and wing markings.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Pied Paddy Skimmer photo 3
Photo: Gerard Chartier, CC BY

Questions people ask

What does the pied paddy skimmer look like?

Males are black with a pale yellow ridge on the thorax and wings that are clear on the outer half and dark blue-black on the inner half, ending in a milky white tip; females have a very different colour pattern.

Source: Wikipedia

Where can I find this dragonfly?

It lives around marshes, ponds, lakes and rice fields in South and Southeast Asian countries such as India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: Wikipedia

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/Neurothemis_tullia

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

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