Orange-tailed sprite
This damselfly is split into two subspecies, one confined to the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Korea and southern China, the other ranging across the rest of Southeast Asia.
| Where | Ponds and marshes across tropical Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | 33 to 41 mm body length |
| When | March to November |
The Orange-tailed sprite is a slim damselfly with a green thorax and an orange abdomen in males, while females appear either similarly orange or a duller grey-brown. Both sexes have green eyes.
It breeds among thick waterside vegetation in ponds, marshes and slow rivers, and is most often seen resting low in the foliage rather than flying far from water.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Green, Orange
Active
Day
To people
Rests low in waterside vegetation; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Ceriagrion melanurum is yellow-green all over, without the orange-red abdomen that gives the Orange-tailed sprite its name.
Questions
Is the Orange-tailed sprite dangerous to people?
Rests low in waterside vegetation; harmless to people.
When can you see the Orange-tailed sprite?
The Orange-tailed sprite can be seen from March to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, GBIF Licence
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Narrow-winged damselflies›Ceriagrion
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.