Bug FAQGreen Metalwing
Neurobasis chinensis · Order: Odonata · Family: Calopterygidae
Also called: Chinese Greenwing, Oriental Greenwing, Stream Glory
The Green Metalwing damselfly is a large insect with a metallic bronze-green body and striking wing colors; the fore-wings are pale yellow-tinted and transparent while the hind-wings appear brilliant metallic green or peacock-blue depending on the angle. It breeds in forest streams, laying eggs on submerged vegetation, and its aquatic nymphs (naiads) live buried in the sediment with a recurved abdomen. The species is common across much of Asia and is normally seen only near water bodies.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Fore-wings are transparent with a pale yellow tint and green veins, while hind-wings are opaque and shine metallic green or peacock-blue depending on view.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is a large damselfly with a metallic bronze-green coloration.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It breeds in forest streams. Adults are normally found only near water bodies.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Aquatic nymphs (naiads) live buried in sediment and have a long abdomen held recurved above the body.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay eggs on submerged vegetation, often among root masses. Naiads burrow in underwater sediment and keep their long abdomen recurved above the body.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Females look very similar to males.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the wings of the Green Metalwing look like?
The fore-wings are transparent with a pale yellow tint and green veins, while the hind-wings appear opaque and shine metallic green or peacock-blue depending on the viewing angle.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this damselfly live?
It breeds in forest streams and is normally seen only near water bodies.
Source: Wikipedia
Do males and females look different?
Females are very similar in appearance to males.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Calopterygidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurobasis_chinensis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.