Cover photo by Andrew & Heather Hodgson.
Find this species in the FBIS database (Freshwater Biodiversity Information System) here.
Family Libellulidae
Identification
Stettynsberg, Western Cape
Photo by Andrew and Heather Hodgson
Medium sized
Length up to 43mm; Wingspan reaches 66mm.
Both sexes are highly distinctive and easily recognised. The bright maroon colour on the thorax is diagnostic and unique. Males are most similar to Orthetrum caffrum (Two-striped Skimmer). Both species show a pair of diagonal white stripes on the thorax sides. In Orthetrum rubens the stripes are broad and of uneven width with a black border only along the upper edge. Orthetrum caffrum has narrower stripes that are even in width and with thin black edging along the upper and lower edges. Orthetrum caffrum may also have reddish-brown surfaces on the thorax but this tends to be dull and more brown than red.
Females are even more distinctive than males and are unlikely to be mistaken for another species. They are predominantly bright yellow and black with distinctive maroon-coloured thorax sides with two diagonal white stripes.
Click here for more details on identification.
Stettynsberg, Western Cape
Photo by Andrew and Heather Hodgson
Habitat
The Elusive Skimmer inhabits open, high-altitude seeps, bogs, and marshes. It is restricted to the Fynbos Biome and occurs up to 1300m above sea level.
Hawequas Mountains, Western Cape
Photo by Corne Rautenbach
Behaviour
Not much is known about the behaviour of the Elusive Skimmer. They are known to perch on vegetation above boggy ground and seeps. Both sexes can be found in the same general area.
The Elusive Skimmer is on the wing from October to February.
Status and Conservation
The Elusive Skimmer is seemingly rare and highly localised, but may be overlooked due to the inaccessibility of its high mountain habitat. The Elusive Skimmer is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Distribution
The Elusive Skimmer is endemic to South Africa where it is restricted to the high mountainous terrain of the Western Cape.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Elusive Skimmer in the OdonataMAP database as at February 2020.
Below is a map showing the distribution of records for Elusive Skimmer 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.
Further Resources
The use of photographs by Andrew & Heather Hodgson is acknowledged.
Elusive Skimmer Orthetrum rubens Barnard, 1937
Other common names: Ruby Skimmer (Alt. English); Mistieke Skepper (Afrikaans).
Recommended citation format: Loftie-Eaton M; Navarro R; Tippett RM; Underhill L. 2025. Elusive Skimmer Orthetrum rubens. Biodiversity and Development Institute. Available online at https://thebdi.org/2020/05/18/elusive-skimmer-orthetrum-rubens/
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
