Red-tipped shadefly
The red-tipped shadefly is a slim damselfly that lives near quiet ponds and swamps. A grown-up male is dark with pale green stripes on his chest. The end of his tail is red, and that red tip gives it its name.
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Fun facts
A young one is pale reddish brown. It only gets its dark colours and green stripes when it grows up.
Its scientific name rubescens is Latin for blushing, because the top of its tail turns red.
It is 35 to 40 millimetres long, a small to medium-sized damselfly.
In Australia it lives across the whole north of the country, from Shark Bay in the west to Point Hicks in the south-east.
There are plenty of them, so scientists say the species is not in danger.
Most asked questions about Red-tipped shadefly
?How big is the red-tipped shadefly?
It is 35 to 40 millimetres long.
?Where does the red-tipped shadefly live?
From India and southern China through south-east Asia to New Guinea and northern Australia, near ponds, marshes and swamps.
?Is the red-tipped shadefly dangerous?
No. Damselflies have no sting and are harmless to people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Argiocnemis rubescens
- Named by
- Sélys
- Group
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Family
- Coenagrionidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Odonata > Coenagrionidae
- Lives on
- Asia, Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- Argiocnemis rubescens (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Summerdrought. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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