| Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Orthetrum cancellatum (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Black-tailed Skimmer French name: Orthetrum réticulé Order: Odonata Suborder: Anisoptera Family: Libellulidae Wingspan: 70-80 mm. Biotope: Ponds and lakes with shallow margins and bare shores. Geographic area: Europe except extreme North, Asia as far as Mongolia, Middle East, North Africa. Flight time: May to September. |
The male Black-tailed Skimmer's abdomen is blue with a black tip. You can sometimes see some yellow colour on the sides of the abdomen. The female's abdomen is yellowish-brown and bordered with two black lines. The base of the wings is clear, without any black mark. This enables to tell Black-tailed skimmers apart from Scarce Chasers. The front edge of the wings is yellow. The pterostigma is black and thin. The female lays the eggs in flight by dipping abdomen onto water surface. The larvae live at the bottom of ponds, partially in silt, during 2 or 3 years. |
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This woodland clearing, not far from my home, is a magical place. Every time I go there, I take pictures of new species and I am often able to get very close. |
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This Black-tailed Skimmer was not very shy while I was taking pictures. Here is the side view. |
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Female Black-tailed Skimmer shows beautiful golden colours. |
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The fact that this female Black-tailed Skimmer was used to regularly landing on this branch eased the photo session. |
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Female Black-tailed Skimmer eating a butterfly. |
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I often observe Black-tailed Skimmer landed on the ground. |
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The abdomen of this female Black-tailed Skimmer is curiously pinched. |
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It seems to me that I observe more females than males. Maybe this is only because they are less shy. |
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The background is often very important for wildlife pictures. Here, a foliage, in the shadow and rather far, has provided a good contrast with this Black-tailed Skimmer resting in the sunlight. |
André Bon November 2018