About Chalcostephia flavifrons Kirby, 1889
Chalcostephia flavifrons Kirby, 1889 is a fairly small dragonfly species. Individuals have a hind-wing length between 24 and 29 mm (0.9 to 1.1 in). Mature adult males are bluish-grey and pruinose, meaning their cuticle is covered in a dusting of wax particles. Adult females and newly emerged males are dark with bold yellow banding. This species can be told apart from other similar dragonflies by a distinct head feature: the yellow face contrasts with the flattened, metallic green frons, the front part of the head. Its membranous, veined wings are transparent apart from the pterostigmata, small thickened cells located at the leading edge of the wing tips. These pterostigmata have pale centers and dark edges. This species has a widespread distribution across tropical and subtropical sub-Saharan Africa. Confirmed locations within its range include Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Republic of Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Suitable habitats for this species include temporary and permanent pools with submerged or emergent vegetation, streams and rivers, channels within swamps and marshes, gallery forests, forest clearings, and open areas such as savannah and shrubby areas. It is generally found at altitudes below 1,800 m (6,000 ft), and is more common in areas below 900 m (3,000 ft).
