Grenadier
The male of this dragonfly has an abdomen so thin and bright red at the base that it looks swollen there compared with the rest of its length.
| Where | Forest marshes, streams and mangroves |
|---|---|
| Size | 37 to 41 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
The Grenadier is a colourful, handsomely marked dragonfly. The male has a thin red abdomen swollen at the base, a metallic green face and a robust thorax mottled with yellow, while the female has a similarly shaped but orange brown abdomen.
It breeds in lowland forest marshes, sluggish streams and shady drains in disturbed country, and can also be found along the landward edge of mangroves.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Red, Metallic, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Perches near shaded forest pools; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Named for similarly bright red colouring, but lacks the swollen red abdomen base and metallic green face of the Grenadier, with a more evenly red thorax.
Questions
Is the Grenadier dangerous to people?
Perches near shaded forest pools; harmless to people.
When can you see the Grenadier?
The Grenadier can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Rainer Breitling, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Skimmers›Agrionoptera
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.