Large white-tailed dragonfly - Large white-tailed dragonfly

Japanese: オオシオカラトンボ - おおしおからとんぼ

An insect belonging to the order Odonata and family Odonata in the class Insecta. It resembles the closely related common skimmer, but has a broad abdomen, and when males mature, their entire bodies are covered in pale powder. Females are always straw-colored. It is commonly found in the Japanese archipelago, and is distributed as far as Taiwan and southern China. The larvae grow in ponds and marshes, but also live in small bodies of water within cities.

[Shojiro Asahina]

[Reference item] | White-tailed skimmer

Male Large-tailed Skimmer
It is similar to the common skimmer, but has a wider abdomen. When the male matures, the entire body is covered in pale powder. Body length 50-57mm, hind wing length 37-42mm. Odonata ©Shogakukan Photo by Masatoshi Hirose ">

Male Large-tailed Skimmer

Female Large-tailed Skimmer
The female's body color is always straw-colored. Body length 50-57mm, hindwing length 37-42mm. Odonata ©Shogakukan Photo by Masatoshi Hirose ">

Female Large-tailed Skimmer

Major types of dragonflies (1) [specimen illustrations]
©Tatsuo Ikeda ©Kenzo Otawa ©Toshio Sekiguchi ©Akinori Yoshitani ">

Major types of dragonflies (1) [specimen illustrations]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

昆虫綱トンボ目トンボ科に属する昆虫。近縁のシオカラトンボに似ているが、腹部が幅広く、雄は成熟すると体全体が蒼白(そうはく)粉に覆われる。雌はつねに麦藁(むぎわら)色である。日本列島には普通にみられ、台湾、中国南部まで分布する。幼虫は池沼に育つが、都市内の小水域にも生息する。

［朝比奈正二郎］

[参照項目] | シオカラトンボ

オオシオカラトンボの雄
シオカラトンボに似るが、腹部の幅が広い。雄は成熟すると体全体が蒼白粉に覆われる。体長50～57mm、後翅長37～42mm。トンボ科©Shogakukan　撮影／広瀬雅敏">

オオシオカラトンボの雄

オオシオカラトンボの雌

トンボのおもな種類(1)〔標本画〕