About Anax parthenope (Selys, 1839)
Anax parthenope is a crepuscular dragonfly species that is active during dusk. This dragonfly can be easily identified by the multicolored upper surface of its frons, and by the shape and relative lengths of its anal appendages. Its labium and labrum are golden-yellow, while its face and frons are greenish yellow. Its eyes are green, and turn bluish as it ages. Its thorax is pale olivaceous brown with dark brown sutures. The second segment of its abdomen is turquoise blue. The third segment has a large blue patch on each side. Segments 4 through 9 have an irregular black middorsal stripe, and segment 10 is black. In terms of distribution and habitat, this species occurs across much of southern and central Europe, including most Mediterranean islands. Its range extends across Asia to Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and China, and also reaches North Africa. Populations have also been found on the Canary Islands and the Madeira Archipelago. The species is spreading northwards; it was first recorded in Great Britain in 1996, and has successfully bred there since that first sighting.
