keeled skimmer heathland skimmer orthetrum coerulescens

mating
keeled skimmer
keeled skimmer
keeled skimmer
keeled skimmer


keeled skimmer


portraits
keeled skimmer
The female has a brown thorax with light stripes. The abdomen is brown with a dark central line and short lateral ones. There are further black lines along the sides. The wings show a yellowish suffusion.
It is very similar to the female southern skimmer but the latter species has small dots on the abdomen.
keeled skimmer
The male has a bright blue abdomen with few marks. The thorax is dark brown with strong pale stripes. Both sexes have a yellow costa and orange wing-spots, outlined in black.
keeled skimmer
This male was seen in Spain and it closely resembles southern skimmer. Inspection of the cells in the centre of the wing confirms keeled skimmer.
The male usually has a brown thorax with light stripes but this specimen may have become pruinescent. Less likely, it may be an older specimen and the thorax has become bluish.
keeled skimmer
This is a magnified view of part of the wing of the insect shown on the left. If it were a southern skimmer there would be a double row of at least 4 cells inside the area outlined in red. This pattern is not seen, so the insect is a keeled skimmer. Refer to southern skimmer for more information.
keeled skimmer
An immature female.
keeled skimmer
A pair of males, showing some mating marks.
keeled skimmer
An immature female ...
keeled skimmer


in flight
keeled skimmer
A male in flight.