English name: Blue Darner / Fiery Emperor 
Like all members of the family Aeshnidae, the Splendid Emperor tends to patrol its territory back and forth, driving out any intruder.

Size: The largest dragonfly in Europe (about 8 cm).
Distribution: Its range extends from the Greek islands and Cyprus through Turkey to China.
In Israel it is extremely rare.
Habitat: Lays eggs in rocky, sunlit streams and prefers the still, deep sections of the stream. The submerged plants are used by the female for laying the eggs while the male guards her nearby but is not connected to her. 
Season: from the end of May to mid-September, but mainly in June and July.

Identification marks:
The eyes are two-toned: dark blue in the upper part and light in the lower part.
The head and front of the eyes are smooth white with no markings. 
The thorax is blue (in the male) or yellow (in the female), with two black stripes on its sides.
The wings are tinted yellow along their entire length.
The male's abdomen is black, with each segment from the third to the eighth starting in a pinkish-orange color and ending in black. The remaining abdominal segments are completely black. In the female, the abdomen is orange and each segment ends with a black ring. The pterostigma (the colored part on the wing) is reddish brown.

The appearance of the Splendid Emperor is unique and it cannot be confused with any other local species.