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

Palpopleura portia
      Portia Widow
   Mlawula

View photos in Biodiversity Explorer

Distribution: Very common, east coast to lowveld and arid north and northwest. To Central Africa. Up to 800 m a.s.l. in KwaZulu Natal. To East and West Africa,Madagascar and Comoros.
Body Length: 25-29 mm
Hind Wing Length: 20-25 mm
Habitat: Garden ponds, natural pools, pans, swamps, marshes and sluggish reaches of rivers with an abundance of grasses and reeds.
Flight Period: November to May
Features: Very small to small, powdery blue body and jet black, deeply notched patches on all wings, and that run from wing bases to pterostigmas. Pools, marshes and sluggish reaches of streams in warm areas.
Comments: Occurrence in Eswatini confirmed by photos by Kate Braun, Gerhard Diedericks and Ernst Klimsa.

10 records, from 4/23/2011 to 1/21/2019

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