Description

Length: From 56 to 64 mm.
Hindwing spam: From 37 to 42 mm.
Male: 1. Bluish eyes. 2. Thorax is brown with small yellow antehumeral (upper) stripes. 3. Wide yellow stripes on the sides. 4. On the upper part of S2, there is a yellow marking in the shape of a champagne glass. 5. There are small yellow and bright blue stripes on the abdomen, which make contrast with the black colour. 6. Long anal appendages.
Female: Females are similar to males but they are lighter yellow, above all, its abdomen and it has an egg-laying organ.

Habitat

They breed in stagnant water bodies, such as small lakes, reservoirs and pools for watering land and golf courses if they are naturalized and have rushes and bulrushes on the shore. They can also be seen in forests and mountains far away from water, even many kilometres away, when they are in the phase of spreading.

Way of life

When they emerge, many adults spend months away from the place where it happened, and they come back after mating or when they become mature. There can be groups of hundreds of individuals at certain places. In these cases, they are rather flighty and active all day long. They fly high, sometimes even several metres above trees.
Anyhow, this species is difficult to be spotted when at rest. They do this at a big altitude, hanging vertically with their four wings open in the shape of a cross. They can live with other aeshnids.

When to see this species

Their emergence takes place in June, and they come back from the places where they mate between September and November. Some individuals can be seen until December.

Where to see this species

Considering that they tend to scatter, they can be found in any place in the province, although there are not many places where they breed. This species has been seen spotted on the following stages of the Great Málaga Path: 5, 6, 18, 19, 23,25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 33 and 35. In all cases, only separated individuals have been seen.

Similar species

Above all Aeshna cyanea.

Conservation status

This species is not endangered nor is it specially protected by the current environmental laws.