Azure Damselfly

Azure Damselfly ( Coenagrion puella ) ♂

The Azure Damselfly ( Coenagrion puella ) is a dragonfly of the family Coenagrionidae ( Coenagrionidae ). It is in the Azure Damselfly a small dragonfly with a wingspan of up to five centimeters.

Features

The Azure Damselfly reach body lengths of 35 to 40 millimeters and is very slim, built almost needle-like usually. The name owes to the horseshoe-shaped black mark, which can be found on the second abdominal segment of the male, the Azure Damselfly. However, this also exists in similar species such as the bat Damselfly (C. pulchellum ) in a similar expression, but in which the black markings of the following abdominal segments is more comprehensive.

Way of life

The larvae hatch from May to August and have a life expectancy of up to four weeks. Like most other dragonflies also feeds the Azure Damselfly of insects, which they usually begins in flight. During mating, the males grab the females with their abdomen pincers ( cerci ) below the head. To carry out the impregnation, the two vials called Paarungsrad. Here, the female takes the seeds from the seed case of the male. The eggs are laid in pairs in tandem. In this the female is sitting level and the male stands up. The female pierces the eggs with her ovipositor into the water plants. This joint oviposition the male prevents the fertilization of the female by competitors. The eggs laid require between two and five weeks to become a larva.

Larval development

The larvae are usually found in stagnant, sometimes in flowing waters. The larval takes about a year, with the winter takes place as a larva.

Media

The " hatching "

Azurjungfern in Paarungsrad

At oviposition

Males with prey

Azurjungfern in mating

Young male

Young females

Damselfly on Pond