Coenagrion mercuriale

Helmet Damselfly ( Coenagrion mercuriale )

The helmet Azure Damselfly ( Coenagrion mercuriale ) is a dragonfly of the family Coenagrionidae ( Coenagrionidae ).

Features

The helmet - Azurjungfer reaches a wingspan of three to four centimeters. The males have a black and blue coloration on the thorax and the abdomen segments, creating a likelihood of confusion with other Azurjungfern there, especially with the bird Azure Damselfly (C. ornatum ). But it is slimmer built than the latter.

Distribution and habitat

The helmet - Azurjungfer is widespread in West and Central Europe, reaching England in the north. Messages such as from Eastern Europe, for example, from the Balkans, refer to confusion with the bird Azurjungfer. She lives in overgrown streams and meadow ditches the level to about 800 m above sea level. NN, which are characterized by relatively clean and calcareous, slowly flowing water. It is essential for the occurrence of the species is in these small streams also a dense evergreen underwater vegetation mainly from Berle ( Berula erecta ), water mint ( Mentha aquatica ) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale). In addition, hollows and runnels in Kalkquellmooren are often settled particularly in the foothills.

Way of life

The flight time of the helmet Azurjungfer falls in the May to August. The species is extremely site- faithful and removed only rarely more than a few 100 meters from the waters. Accordingly, its ability to colonize new habitats in the loss of the original very low, which makes them extremely vulnerable to construction and maintenance activities on their waters. The eggs are inserted by the female, especially in submerged plant parts, like in the leaves of the Berle. In this case, both partners are connected in tandem position, and the females appeared to lay their eggs under, with the male but mostly immersed only the abdomen.

The larvae hide in the vegetation waters. Your development time is one depending on the temperature of the water year or two.

Threats and conservation

In Germany and the federal states with presence of the species this is done due to the vanishing habitats in the Red List as " critically endangered ".

The helmet Damselfly is one of Europe's dragonfly species with the highest protection status. It is in the Appendix II of the Bern Convention as " strictly protected species " and in Annex II of the EU Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive ( " there are specially establishing protected areas" ) out.

The IUCN classified the species currently classified as " low risk" one.