Anax parthenope

Small Emperor Dragonfly ( Anax parthenope ), male

The Little Emperor Dragonfly ( Anax parthenope ) is a dragonfly of the family of precious Dragonflies ( Aeshnidae ), which belong to the suborder of large dragonflies ( Anisoptera ). This is one of the largest native to Central Europe dragonflies with a wingspan of up to eleven centimeters.

Features

The Little King dragonfly is with the Great Emperor Dragonfly ( Anax imperator) and the Great source damselfly ( Cordulegaster heros ) one of the largest dragonfly species in Central Europe. You reached wingspans 9.5 to 11 centimeters. The chest section (thorax ) of the animals is brownish in color, the abdomen ( tummy) of the males is only in the front of light blue and otherwise dark colored to black, the females brown with black rings. In contrast, the Great King dragonfly has a green to blue chest and the abdomen is drawn in black on a blue background.

Way of life

The Little King dragonfly is particularly widespread in southern Europe. It develops in stagnant water, especially in larger ponds and lakes. In Central Europe the species is regionally also not uncommon, as it comes, for example, quite common in the lake districts in northeast Germany or in the lakes of the Alpine foothills before. Your flight time is between May and September. On their hunting flights can remove them from the water very far.

Looking for a female, the males fly persistently high above the water surface along the shoreline and in the riparian vegetation. Eggs are laid almost always in tandem position with the female pierces the eggs into living or dead plants.

Larval development

The larval development takes in Central Europe two years in the warmer waters of southern Europe just a year.