We have just been visited by a “Large Damselfly”. This magnificent specimen was eight centimeters long.
The damselfly reaches a wingspan of 9.5 to 11 centimeters. Thethorax is green, theabdomen of the males is light blue with a continuous black longitudinal band on the back, which has a toothlike bulge on each segment. The abdomen of females is blue-green, and the longitudinal band on the back is brown and broad. In contrast, the slightly smallerdamselfly(Anax parthenope) has a brown breast and the abdomen is blue only in the anterior region.
Way of life
The damselfly is frequently encountered, especially near standing water. On its hunting flights, however, it can also move very far away from the water. The males form territories and also drive members of other species out of this area. It flies in the months of June to August. The food spectrum of theimagines includes mainly flies and midges, but also other dragonflies (also relatively large species). Occasionally, other insects, such as butterflies, are also preyed upon.
Reproduction
For reproduction, the male grasps a passing female in flight and immediately begins mating. If the female is not willing to mate, she hangs her abdomen and pretends to be an egg-laying female. However, the mating game is usually finished while sitting in the riparian vegetation.Copulation occurs several times. After about ten minutes the animals separate again, the female lays the eggs alone. The female lays the eggs on her own and stabs them intowater plants or floating plant parts in submerged places. The necessary pressure is generated by flapping the wings. During this process the animals are often disturbed by other dragonflies.
Larval development
The larvae are very active and swim away with their legs and by recoil when disturbed. They get the power to recoil by expelling respiratory water from therectal gills. The larvae reach a maximum length of 55 millimeters after one to two years of development. The duration of development depends mainly on the time of egg laying and the water temperature. Damselfly larvae feed on available small animals in their aquatic habitat, such as insect larvae, water bugs, andtadpoles. Occasionally, they also prey on fish fry and spawn.
Distribution
The range of the Large Damselfly extends throughout Africa and much of Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, southwestern and central Asia. In India, the species occurs in the states of West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. In Europe, it is currently expanding its range significantly to the north. In the British Isles, sightings are already known from Scotland, and in southern Sweden to about the latitude of Uppsala. (Wikipedia)