Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Dragonflies and damselflies
Sticker of Indigo dropwing
Bug card No. 2354 of 4,939

Indigo dropwing

Trithemis festiva
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The indigo dropwing is a dragonfly with a dark blue-purple body that shines like velvet. Its wings are clear with a dark patch at the base and a black spot near the tip. The female is yellow with black stripes.

Lives in
From Greece, Cyprus and Turkey across Asia to New Guinea, by slow streams and canals
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies do not sting.
What does it eat?
Like other dragonflies, it catches small flying insects.
For real!Photo of Indigo dropwing
Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It likes to perch on rocks next to streams and rivers.

2

The male's blue colour comes from a fine powdery coating on its body.

3

It is often seen near slow streams in thick forests.

4

Its eyes are dark brown on top with a purple shine.

you asked

Most asked questions about Indigo dropwing

?Where does the indigo dropwing live?

From Greece and Turkey across Asia to New Guinea, near slow streams and canals.

?What colour is the indigo dropwing?

The male is dark blue-purple, and the female is yellow with black stripes.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Trithemis festiva
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, Australia and Oceania
Also known as
Black stream glider

Where the facts come from

  1. Black stream glider (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Dragonflies and damselflies

Emperor dragonflyDragonflies and damselfliesCommon whitetailDragonflies and damselfliesGreen darnerDragonflies and damselfliesEbony jewelwingDragonflies and damselfliesGlobe skimmerDragonflies and damselfliesBlue dasherDragonflies and damselflies

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores

Broad-winged skipperButterfliesHairy-horned springtail-hunterBeetlesSmall red sedgeOther insectsWillow apple gall sawflyWasps and hornetsChevrolat's dytiscidBeetlesMulsant's water treaderTrue bugs and cicadas
Honey jarfor grown-ups