Cover photo by Lappies Labuschagne.
Find the Round-winged Bluet in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.
Family Coenagrionidae
Identification
Near Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal
Photo by Desire Darling
Very small size
Length up to 22mm; Wingspan reaches 32mm.
The Round-winged Bluet is a small blue and black damselfly that closely resembles other bluet species. Males are most similar to Ischnura senegalensis, Azuragrion nigridorsum and Africallagma glaucum. The Round-winged Bluet can be told apart by the characteristic blue-rimmed pterostigmas, crescent-shaped postocular spots, and all-black S10.
Females can be mistaken for those of other bluet species. However, they are readily identifiable by their pale blue-rimmed pterostigmas.
Click here for more details on identification.
Habitat
The Round-winged Bluet is restricted to the grassland biome where it inhabits the grassy verges of slow-flowing streams, ponds, and marshes. It is often found in places that are shallowly flooded. The Round-winged Bluet can sometimes also be found at dams that offer suitable habitat. It mostly occurs in areas over 1200m above sea level.
Photo by Corne Rautenbach
Behaviour
The Round-winged Bluet perches prominently on grass and sedge stems over the water. It often perches relatively high up on vegetation. The Round-winged Bluet is active from September to April (see Phenology below).
Status and Conservation
The Round-winged Bluet is a scarce and localized South African endemic. It is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Round-winged Bluet is fairly sensitive to habitat degradation but occasionally occurs at suitable man-made habitats.
Distribution
Proischnura rotundipennis is endemic to South Africa. It occurs from the central Eastern Cape, to the interior of KwaZulu-Natal, the eastern FreeState and up to Gauteng, Mpumalanga and as far north as the Soutpansberg in Limpopo.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Round-winged Bluet in the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Round-winged Bluet in the OdonataMAP database as of December 2024.
The next map below is an imputed map, produced by an interpolation algorithm, which attempts to generate a full distribution map from the partial information in the map above. This map will be improved by the submission of records to the OdonataMAP section of the Virtual Museum.
Ultimately, we will produce a series of maps for all the odonata species in the region. The current algorithm is a new algorithm. The objective is mainly to produce “smoothed” maps that could go into a field guide for odonata. This basic version of the algorithm (as mapped above) does not make use of “explanatory variables” (e.g. altitude, terrain roughness, presence of freshwater — we will be producing maps that take these variables into account soon). Currently, it only makes use of the OdonataMAP records for the species being mapped, as well as all the other records of all other species. The basic maps are “optimistic” and will generally show ranges to be larger than what they probably are.
These maps use the data in the OdonataMAP section of the Virtual Museum, and also the database assembled by the previous JRS funded project, which was led by Professor Michael Samways and Dr KD Dijkstra.
Phenology
Further Resources
The use of photographs by Desire Darling and Lappies Labuschagne is acknowledged.
Round-winged Bluet Proischnura rotundipennis Ris, 1921
Other Common names: Rondevlerkbloutjie (Afrikaans).
Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Round-winged Bluet Proischnura rotundipennis. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/05/13/round-winged-bluet-proischnura-rotundipennis/
References: Tarboton, M; Tarboton, W. (2019). A Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of South Africa. Struik Nature.
Samways, MJ. (2008). Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa. Pensoft
Samways, MJ. (2016). Manual of Freshwater Assessment for South Africa: Dragonfly Biotic Index.Suricata 2. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Pretoria
