Males are distinguished by a flattened orange abdomen with a line of drop-shaped spots along each side and clubbed overall appearance - i.e. widest at the tip.

They closely resemble males of the ruddy darter, which have more evenly flattened abdomen and noticeably darker pterostigmata.

[4] It breeds in temporary water bodies, which dry out in the autumn and are re-filled in late spring when the snow melts.

[3] The species is distributed across temperate parts of Eurasia from Western Europe to Japan, but is absent from steppes and deserts of Central Asia.

The majority of the European population inhabits Alpine slopes and lowlands of east Germany and Poland.