Downy Emerald
Falk dragonfly ( Cordulia Aenea ), male
The Falk dragonfly or Common Emerald Damselfly ( Cordulia Aenea ) is a species of the family of dragonflies Falk ( Corduliidae ). The epithet of the scientific species name is pronounced viersilbig and on the second syllable stressed ( ae- ne -a). It is the eponymous species of Corduliidae family.
Features
The species is similar in appearance to the representatives of the genus Somatochlora ( Emerald dragonflies), but a solid green front has ( Somatochlora with yellow spots). The Falk dragonfly is five to five and a half inches long and has a wingspan of 7.5 cm. Their wings are built differently: The hind wings have a broadened base. The body has a metallic shine green to copper color, the eyes are green. In the male the abdomen is widened rear club-shaped, with the greatest width is reached at the 7th and 8th segment. Another difference from the very similar Shiny emerald dragonfly ( Somatochlora metallica ) is that the females have a cylindrical abdomen without conspicuous protruding ovipositor. Also Cordulia acts hairy little stronger on the thorax and has an earlier flight.
Dissemination
The Falk dragonfly is a Euro Siberian faunal element; northward hands her area in Scandinavia to 68 ° 55 'north latitude, in Siberia to about 70 ° nB To the east it extends across Siberia to Japan, westward including the south of Ireland and Great Britain are achieved. In the Iberian Peninsula and the Mediterranean countries, Articles lacking at all warm regions are avoided or at most populated in mountainous areas. In Germany it is common, with the frequency depending on the region can vary greatly. Overall Cordulia Aenea is here slightly more often than Somatochlora metallica, northern Germany, however, it behaves vice versa.
Habitat and behavior
The Falk dragonfly inhabits small, herb -rich, preferably dystrophic lakes and ponds as well as extensively managed fishponds, which offer certain habitat structures. The main focus and floodplain waters are inhabited.
The slip begins in Central Europe early May (sometimes late April), and has its peak a little later (May / June). Main flight time is then in the second half of June ( plains) and July ( Bergland ). The last animals are still in mid-August (sometimes September ) go. The males fly mostly uneasy patrolling the waters along the shore and remain constantly shaking in the air. They are in search of females and distribute competing males from their territory. The females are very shy and only come to the propagation to the waters where they are hiding in the riparian vegetation. To lay their eggs they make a Schwirrflug and throw the eggs in small lumps under bobbing movements in the water.
Add the eggs to develop the hatching larvae after about three weeks. These have remarkably long legs and a slightly flattened, broad abdomen; the Dorsaldornen are low. They usually spend two years in the water before they metamorphose to the imago. The subspecies Cordulia Aenea amurensis in Siberia may need even five years for the aquatile larval phase.