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

Orthetrum abbotti
      Little Skimmer
   Mantenga

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: Western Cape Province and Eastern Cape Province northwards, up to 1800 m a.s.l. To Central Africa, the subspecies malgassicum in Madagascar.
Body Length: 36-37 mm
Hind Wing Length: 26-26.5 mm
Habitat: Marshy pools beside montane grassy, trickling streams, especially in rolling, open grass land. Occasionally lowland pans.
Flight Period: November to May
Features: Small to medium-sized, all pale blue with slightly smoky wings and long, light-brown pterostigmas. Mostly marshy, upland stream margins.
Comments: Occurrence in Eswatini confirmed by photos by Kate Braun, and by SA damselflies and dragonflies checklist (Durban Natural Science Museum, 2000).

1 record, from 1/22/2014

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