The Northern Banded Groundling (Brachythemis impartita) has a pale cream pterostigma in both sexes and their eyes appear to be striped.
Males have a dark blue to black abdomen and thorax.
Females have a yellow and black abdomen and thorax.
Males have bands on the outer wings from the node to just short of the pterostigma.

Young males will initially have a yellowish-brownish body color with brown or black markings on the thorax and abdomen.
As it matures, the male will develop a black abdomen and thorax, and dark brown or blackish wing markings.
Young females look like young males without the bands on the wings.

The Northern Banded Groundling looks very similar to the Southern Banded Groundling (Brachythemis leucosticta). 
Both species are widespread: Brachythemis leucosticta occupies most of tropical Africa and Madagascar, while Brachythemis impartita ranges north and south of the Sahara, and extends into Eurasia.
Until 2009, these two species were considered the same species.
Males Brachythemis impartita can be distinguished from males Brachythemis leucostita by the white veins near the wing tips.
Brachythemis leucosticta has dark veins near the wingtips.
In addition, in Brachythemis leucosticta the band around the pterostigma is much more dark en complete.

Both species occur in Mali.

Bamako area, Mali, 24 February 2010