Their body length is 40 to 48 mm with a wingspan of 66 to 83 mm.
Males and females look almost identical and differ only in their genitalia. They have a brown body with lateral yellow spots on abdominal segments S4 to S8. The posterior segments are black in colour. The thorax is hairy. Characteristic are the spots in the centre of the front wing edge, from which the dragonfly gets its name.
It colonises a wide range of different standing waters that are rich in vegetation or have well-developed underwater vegetation.
Literature:
- K.-D. Dijkstra, Libellen Europas, 2. Auflage, Haupt Verlag Bern 2021,ISBN 3-258-08219-6, S. 253
- K. Sternberg / R. Buchwald, Libellen Baden-Württembergs, Bd. 2, Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0, S. 458–469
- H. Wildermuth, A. Martens, Die Libellen Europas, Quelle & Meyer Wiebelsheim 2018, 3-494-01690-9, S. 671 ff
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