Banded Demoiselle
| Banded Demoiselle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
 | |
| Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Calopterygidae |
| Genus: | Calopteryx |
| Species: | C. splendens |
| Binomial name | |
| Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1780) [1] | |
The Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers. It is an Eurasian species occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and north-western China.[2]
Identification
This is a large damselfly with a total length of up to 48 millimetres (1.9 in) and a hindwing length of up to 36 millimetres (1.4 in).
The male has translucent wings which each have a broad, dark iridescent blue-black spot (or band) across the outer part. On immature dragonflies the spot is dark brown. The body can be a metallic blue or blue-ish green.
The dark wing patch of the male starts at the nodus (the slight dip midway down the upper edge of the wing) but can reach up to the wing-tip in southern races.[2] In the very similar species C. virgo (Beautiful Demoiselle), the dark starts before the nodus.
The female has translucent, pale green iridescent wings with a white patch near the tip (a pseudopterostigma), and a metallic green body.
Eggs and larvae
Females can lay up to 10 eggs per minute for 45 minutes. They lay in a wide variety of emergent or floating plants, sometimes even submerging to do so.
The eggs hatch after 14 days. The larvae have very long legs and are stick-shaped. They develop over two years, usually. They tolerate muddy water and overwinter buried in mud. When they are ready to moult into an adult, they climb up a suitable reed or plant and shed their skin.
Behaviour
Males are usually territorial, but large numbers can sometimes be found in lush bankside plants and on floating objects. They court females by opening their wings and performing an aerial dance. They are usually found in canals and quiet rivers with muddy bottoms located in open country.[3]
Natural habitat areas
The Banded Demoiselle is an Eurasian species, and is present throughout Eurasia from the Atlantic coast to Lake Baikal and north-western China.[2] The Demoiselle is found in Taganay and Zyuratkul National Parks of Russia.[4] They also live in National park of Fruška Gora in Serbia. They are found throughout the British Isles, except for the Scottish Highlands.[3]
Status
The Banded Demoiselle is listed as protected in the Red Book of Chelyabinsk Oblast.[4] ??
Footnotes and references
- ↑ The dates 1782 and 1776 have been given in the entomological literature; Hämäläinen (2008) showed that the species was described in 1780
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B. (2006). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-9531399-4-8.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brooks & Lewington (2004). Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-0-5.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1782) - Красная Книга Челябинской области: животные, растения, грибы / Министерство по радиационной и экологической безопасности Челябинской области, Ин-т экологии растений и животных УрО РАН. - Екатеринбург: Изд-во Урал. ун-та, 2005. - 450 с.: ил.
Bibliography
- Dijkstra, Klaas-Douwe B. (2006). Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-9531399-4-8.
- Hämäläinen, Matti (2008) Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1780) - a note on the publication date of the description of the Banded Demoiselle Journal of the British Dragonfly Society 24(1): 19-23
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