Black-tailed Skimmer vs Southern Skimmer

Orthetrum cancellatum compared with Orthetrum brunneum

Key Differences

• Black-tailed Skimmer is Vulnerable while Southern Skimmer is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-tailed Skimmer	Southern Skimmer
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Odonata (Odonata)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family same	Libellulidae	Libellulidae
Genus same	Orthetrum	Orthetrum
Species	Orthetrum cancellatum	Orthetrum brunneum

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-tailed Skimmer and Southern Skimmer share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Orthetrum.

Conservation Status

Black-tailed Skimmer

VU — Vulnerable

Southern Skimmer

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-tailed Skimmer	Southern Skimmer
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-tailed Skimmer

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Southern Skimmer

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Black-tailed Skimmer

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇸🇪 Sweden