UPDATED CHECKLIST: An Adobe pdf version of the checklist as at December 2018 is available here (click to view/download - approx 10 MB).

View lists of Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies by eighth degree grid square

Tetrathemis polleni
      Black-splashed Elf
   

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: East coast of Eastern Cape Province, coastal KwaZulu Natal, Kruger National Park and Limpopo. To West Africa, Madagascar and Comoros.
Body Length: 30-32.5 mm
Hind Wing Length: 24-25 mm
Habitat: Forest pools and still reaches of rivers with a bush or forest canopy over water.
Flight Period: October to March
Features: Small, unmistakable, pale blue, slender, with huge, roundish black splashes on ends all wings. Perches conspicuously on twigs over shaded, forest pools east of Drakensberg escarpment.
Comments: Possible occurrence in Eswatini based on UCT-ADU OdonataMAP records adjacent to Swaziland.

1 record, from 4/17/2019

Information extracted from "Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa" by Michael J Samways, which also includes detailed descriptions of each species.