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Picture
Lestes barbarus (Fabricius 1798)

L. barbarus is a large lestid with a diagnostic and distinctive bi-coloured pterostigma which separates it from all other species with the exception of L. virens virens. 

L. barbarus is predominantly southern in distribution in Europe. Since the 1990s it has been expanding northwards and was first recorded in UK in 2002 where there are some breeding colonies mainly around the Thames estuary. See separate sub page on UK colonies

As can be seen from the pictures above, L. barbarus can be found in green through to chocolate brown. They lack blue pruinescence except
  • on ab seg 10 (almost always)
  • between the wings​
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