Indigo dropwing
Males turn a deep, glossy indigo blue with maturity, a colour that gives this stream-dwelling dragonfly its common name.
| Where | Streams across South and Southeast Asia |
|---|---|
| Size | 31 to 38 mm body length |
| When | March to November |
Mature males have a purplish black thorax with fine blue pruinescence and a blue-tinged abdomen, while females are brown-yellow with dark lateral stripes and a yellow abdomen marked in black. Both sexes show a small orange patch at the base of the hindwing.
Adults perch on rocks and low plants along small, sunny streams and rivers, darting out to catch passing insects before returning to the same lookout point.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Blue, Brown
Active
Day
To people
Common near streams; safe to observe and does not bother people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Mature males are entirely crimson red with red-veined wings, rather than the deep indigo blue of the Indigo dropwing.
Questions
Is the Indigo dropwing dangerous to people?
Common near streams; safe to observe and does not bother people.
When can you see the Indigo dropwing?
The Indigo dropwing can be seen from March to November, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Name, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Skimmers›Trithemis
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.