### **Kersten’s Sprite (*Pseudagrion kersteni*)**
Identification
Kersten’s Sprite is a striking, medium-sized damselfly (34–42mm) that epitomizes the "blue-and-black" sprite aesthetic. Males are masters of contrast: look for a velvet-black thorax marked by brilliant cobalt-blue stripes. The diagnostic field mark is the **heavy blue pruinescence**—a waxy, flour-like powder—that coats the face, sides of the thorax, and the base of the wings, giving the insect a "frosted" appearance. Their eyes are dark capped with bright blue below, and they sport large, wedge-shaped blue postocular spots. To distinguish them from the similar *P. hageni*, look at the tail: in Kersten’s, segments 8 and 9 are entirely bright blue, while segment 10 is black. Females are more cryptic, typically olive-brown or dull orange with dark dorsal stripes.
Habitat & Range
This is one of Africa’s most widespread damselflies, found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. They are specialists of **running water**, favoring clear, sun-dappled streams, small rivers, and even concrete irrigation furrows. You’ll find them from sea level up to 2,000 meters, provided there is lush, overhanging marginal vegetation or reeds where they can perch and hunt.
Behaviour
Observers will find Kersten’s Sprite to be an active, sun-loving species. Males are highly territorial, acting as "sentinels" on emergent reeds or rocks. They fly low over the water’s surface with a jerky, hovering flight, frequently returning to the same perch. During mating, you may spot them in "tandem," where the male grasps the female’s prothorax as she submerges her abdomen to lay eggs in submerged plant tissues (endophytic oviposition).
Diet
Like all Odonates, they are voracious predators. They practice "gleaning," snatching small soft-bodied insects like midges, mosquitoes, and aphids directly from foliage, or intercepting them mid-air with a basket-like arrangement of their spiny legs.
Fascinating Fact
The "powder" on a male’s face isn't just for show; it’s a **living sunscreen**. This pruinescence consists of light-scattering wax crystals that reflect UV radiation, preventing the damselfly from overheating while it defends its territory under the scorching African sun!