CreatureData

Keeled skimmer

Orthetrum coerulescens (Fabricius, 1798)

Status not recordeddragonflies

The keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) is a species in the family Libellulidae, order Odonata. Recorded adults reach 4.5 cm in length.

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Quick facts about the keeled skimmer

Weight
Not recorded
Length
3.6 cm – 4.5 cm
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivore
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
freshwater, riverine, wetland
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Active
By day (diurnal)
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the keeled skimmer?

KEELED SKIMMER · LENGTH 4.5 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 4.5 cm, the recorded maximum length of the keeled skimmer is about 2.6% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the keeled skimmer live?

Not recorded

Is the keeled skimmer endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the keeled skimmer classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderOdonata
  5. familyLibellulidae
  6. genusOrthetrum
  7. SpeciesOrthetrum coerulescens (Fabricius, 1798)

Synonyms Libellula anceps, Libellula biguttata, Libellula coerulescens, Libellula donovani, Libellula dubia, Libellula olympia, Libellula opalina, Libellula ramburii, Libellula vulgata, Orthetrum anceps, Orthetrum caerulescens, Orthetrum coerulescens anceps, Orthetrum coerulescens minor, Orthetrum helena, Orthetrum ramburii, Orthetrum translatum

Other names and names in other languages (43)
  • Keeled OrthetrumEnglish
  • Keeled skimmer dragonflyEnglish
  • Keeled skipperEnglish
  • Parot blauCatalan
  • vážka žlutoskvrnnáCzech
  • Picellwr CribogWelsh
  • Lille blåpilDanish
  • Kleiner BlaupfeilGerman
  • Libélula cobaltoSpanish
  • Lõuna-sinikiilEstonian
  • hoikkasinikorentoFinnish
  • Orthétrum de RamburFrench
  • tarbh-nathrach uachdarair dìreachScottish Gaelic
  • Libélula celesteGalician
  • ריחופית קניםHebrew
  • Zapadni vilenjakCroatian
  • Kék pásztorHungarian
  • Frecciazzurra minoreItalian
  • Įvairiaspalvė skėtėLithuanian
  • småblålibelleNorwegian Bokmål
  • BeekoeverlibelDutch
  • Lecicha małaPolish
  • Ortétrum dos ribeirosPortuguese
  • Стрекоза синеющаяRussian
  • Mali modračSlovenian
  • Rrëshkitësi imcakAlbanian
  • Plavi hitri konjicSerbian
  • liten blåtrollsländaSwedish
  • Рівночеревець синіючийUkrainian
  • Orthetrum RhesogWelsh
  • Picellwyr CribogWelsh
  • Centinela cobaltoSpanish
  • L'orthétrum BleuissantFrench
  • L'orthétrum De RamburFrench
  • Orthétrum BleuissantFrench
  • Orthétrum bleuissant (L')French
  • tairbh-nathrach uachdarair dìreachScottish Gaelic
  • liten blålibelleNorwegian Bokmål
  • Ortétrum-dos-ribeirosPortuguese
  • Прямобрюх синеющийRussian
  • Стрекоза голубеющаяRussian
  • liten sjötrollsländaSwedish
  • mindre sjötrollsländaSwedish

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the keeled skimmer

Other species in the same genus Orthetrum.

Long skimmer

Orthetrum trinacria

LibellulidaeNo free photo yet

CompareKeeled skimmer vs Black-tailed skimmerKeeled skimmer vs White-tailed skimmerKeeled skimmer vs Southern skimmerKeeled skimmer vs Green skimmer

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the keeled skimmer?

An adult keeled skimmer measures 3.6 cm – 4.5 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the keeled skimmer?

The keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) belongs to the family Libellulidae in the order Odonata.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/keeled-skimmer

MLA

“Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/keeled-skimmer.

BibTeX
@misc{keeled_skimmer_2026,
  title = {Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/keeled-skimmer},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}