Red Groundling

Brachythemis lacustris · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Red Groundling
Photo: 116916927065934112165, CC BY

It lives in a variety of forest, savanna and shrubland types, as well as rivers and intermittent streams. It is native to many African countries, including Angola, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania, among others.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

Its habitats include dry and moist tropical forests, dry and moist savannas, dry and moist shrublands, and both permanent and seasonal rivers.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

It is found across a wide swath of Africa, from West African nations like Ghana and Senegal to East African countries such as Ethiopia and Uganda, and down to southern nations like Namibia and Zimbabwe.

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/Brachythemis_lacustris

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.

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.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.