Northern Damselfly vs African Blue Emperor

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Northern Damselfly African Blue Emperor
Scientific Name Coenagrion johanssoni Anax speratus
Order Odonata Odonata
Family Coenagrionidae Aeshnidae
Size 28-35 mm body length 65-78 mm
Habitat Wetlands Ponds & Lakes
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Northern Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Northern Damselfly

A delicate blue and black damselfly with narrow wings held together above the body at rest. Males have a distinctive blue pattern on the abdomen. It breeds in bog pools and marshy lakeshores.

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Did You Know?

This damselfly has one of the most northerly distributions of any odonate, surviving in habitats where the breeding season lasts only a few weeks.

African Blue Emperor

A large, powerful dragonfly widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Males have a bright blue abdomen and green thorax similar to the European emperor.

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Did You Know?

It is Africa's ecological equivalent of the European Blue Emperor, filling the same niche.