Bug FAQWhite-tailed Skimmer
Orthetrum albistylum · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
The white-tailed skimmer is a dragonfly known by that common name. It lives in areas affected by crop production, and water pollution from those crops harms its habitat. Its range stretches from central and southern Europe across to China and Japan, and it has recently moved north to Poland’s Baltic coast.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The species is called the white-tailed skimmer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Crop production threatens its habitat. Water pollution from crops directly degrades its habitat quality.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It occurs from central and southern Europe to China and Japan. It has recently expanded north to the Baltic Sea coast in Poland.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthetrum_albistylum
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.