Orthetrum nitidinerve

Recorded in seven 10km squares to the end of 2015.

2014 seems to have been a good year for Orthetrum nitidinerve. José Manuel Moreno-Benítez, Javier Ripoll Rodríguez and Francisco de Erit Vázquez Toro found and photographed both males and females in Málaga province and in September I found males at two sites on one river and a male and female at another arroyo, the latter having good numbers in a subsequent (July 2015) visit. I couldn't find any in September 2015 - perhaps because I arrived after the first rains. In July 2016 I saw this species at two new locations with getting on for 30 territorial males along the Arroyo de las Piedras and in September 2016 I counted a minimum of 82 individuals along a 3km stretch of the same arroyo. It has now (July 2017) been recorded in at least 11 10km squares.

2016 seems to have been a special year on the arroyo de las Piedras and the numbers seen there since have been low.

Male

Immature male

Female

Mating pair

Ovipositing female