Persian Bluetail (Ischnura intermedia)
• English name: Persian Bluetail
• German name: Persische Pechlibelle
• French name: N/A
• Dutch name: Perzisch lantaarntje
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: N/A
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Persian Bluetail
(Ischnura intermedia)
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | ➤ a very small species, similar to I. pumilio, which in Europe occurs only on Cyprus | |
| Classification | • suborder: Zygoptera (damselflies); family: Coenagrionidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Not Evaluated | |
| Scientific name | • Ischnura intermedia Dumont, 1974 | |
| Name genus | • Ischnura: from Grk. ἰσχνός = thin, slender +; οὐρά = tail ⇒ for the slender abdomen (compared to e.g. Calopteryx species) | |
| Name species | • intermedia: from Lat. intermedius, -a, -um = intermediate ⇒ for the species' characters which are intermediate between I. pumilio and I. forcipata | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • small, slow-flowing permanent streams and canals | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 26-29 mm; hindwing: 11-13 mm | |
| Notes | • on Cyprus the species is not known to co-occur with I. pumilio | |
| Male | Thorax | • the lower side of the thorax and the antehumeral stripe are green or blue |
| Abdomen | • S8 and S9 are completely (or at least predominantly) sky blue | |
| Wings | • the pterostigma in the forewing is considerably larger than that in the hindwing and it is bicoloured: black on the inside, white on the outside; the pterostigma in the hindwing is uniformly beige/brown | |
| Female | Thorax | • in immature females the side of the thorax is bright orange (a colour form known as aurantiaca); with age this orange colour is gradually replaced by green |
| • the pronotum has two coloured dots on top | ||
| • females lack an antehumeral stripe | ||
| Abdomen | ➤ the abdomen is black on top, without a tail-light | |
| • compared to I. pumilio the black colouration dorsally on S8-S10 looks much narrower, leaving the fleshy-coloured sides of those segments clearly visible when viewed from above | ||
| • the abdomen has a vulvar spine underneath S8 | ||
| Wings | • the pterostigma is uniformly beige/brown in both wings | |
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made on Cyprus in May 2016 |
