Slender skimmer
This dragonfly's swollen, club shaped abdomen base is unusual among skimmers, and it perches boldly on exposed twigs while hunting other dragonflies and butterflies.
| Where | Still waters across Asia and Australasia |
|---|---|
| Size | 60 to 85 mm wingspan |
| When | April to November |
Adults are greyish to greenish yellow with black markings, green eyes, and a distinctively swollen abdomen base that narrows sharply behind the third segment. Wings are clear with a small dark spot at the base of the hindwing.
It perches motionless on dry twigs and shrubs for long periods before darting out to catch smaller butterflies and dragonflies, and breeds in a wide range of still waters from puddles to ponds across a huge range from the Mediterranean to Japan and Australia.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Green, Yellow, Black
Active
Day
To people
Not aggressive towards people; may perch nearby without concern.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Males are pruinose blue over most of the abdomen with only the last two segments black, unlike the greenish yellow, black marked and swollen bodied abdomen of the Slender skimmer.
Questions
Is the Slender skimmer dangerous to people?
Not aggressive towards people; may perch nearby without concern.
When can you see the Slender skimmer?
The Slender skimmer can be seen from April 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›Skimmers›Orthetrum
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.