English name:  Blue Basker

Size:  medium (4-5 cm)

Habitat:  standing water with abundant vegetation and soft, muddy ground, such as swamps, etc.

Distribution: Throughout Africa as well as the Arabian Peninsula.
A population formerly existed in Israel, but it has not been observed in the country for decades and is now considered an extinct species.

Identification marks:
Male- the thorax and abdomen are blue, and there is a black marking on the upper part of the abdomen.
The head and eye are black.
There is a black spot at the base of the hindwing.

Female- yellow, with a black marking on the abdomen similar to the male.
There is an amber-yellow spot at the base of the hindwing.
The eye is red on the upper part and blue on the lower part

Similar species:
The wing markings and black-blue pattern are unique to the male and should not be confused with any other species in the country.
The female resembles the females of many species in the family Libellulidae, and attention should be paid to details before deciding on an identification.

Zankanit tal'ua Urothemis edwardsii - male © איתי שני (צולמה באוגנדה)

Zankanit tal'ua Urothemis edwardsii - female © Allen Holmes (צולמה בגמביה)