English name:  Oasis Bluetail

Size:  Medium damselfly (2.5-3.5 cm).

Habitat:  Aquatic habitats rich in vegetation. It is also not averse to brackish water or hot springs.

Distribution: From North Africa through the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia, as well as in Italy.

In Israel it is observed mainly in the south of the country.

Season:  It flies throughout the summer starting in May (according to data from Turkey).  

Identification marks:
Male -  The sides of the thorax are blue (without a green tint), shoulder stripes (antehumeral) are usually narrow and sometimes even absent.
The upper part of the abdomen is dark; the eighth abdominal segment is entirely blue.
In the second abdominal segment, the blue rises higher on the rear side of the segment than on its front side. (see picture).
Female - In the genus Ischnura, the females are very similar, and distinguishing between them is difficult and not always possible.

Similar species:
Male - all members of the genus Ischnura, as well as the Nile Damselfly, are very similar to one another, and one must look closely to identify with certainty.