Calopterygidae
Banded Demoiselle ( Calopteryx splendens ), female
The Demoiselles ( Calopterygidae ) are a family of damselflies ( Zygoptera ). They belong thus to the dragonflies ( Odonata ). In Central Europe, with the banded demoiselle ( Calopteryx splendens ) and the Blue-winged Demoiselle ( Calopteryx virgo), two species of this group are known, also found in Southern Europe, Southwest Demoiselle ( Calopteryx xanthostoma ) and the Bronze Demoiselle ( Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis ).
Features
The Demoiselles in Europe are the largest representatives of the damselfly. They reach a body length of 50 mm and a wingspan of 60 to 75 millimeters. The bodies of the European species are consistently colored metallic blue-green, the males also have strikingly blue shimmering wings, in the case of a Bronze Prachtlibelle shine this copper to bronze brown. In the banded demoiselle also the wing tip is transparent, so you can distinguish the species most at first glance. The females have largely transparent wings and a less conspicuous luminous body. In the Bronze Demoiselle is located in the female a brown band on the wings near the wing tip. A characteristic feature is especially the flight, the Demoiselles; it is more like that of butterflies than the typical dragonfly flight. The wings of these animals possess numerous Antenodal cross- veins. Pterostigmen missing, however, is at this point in the female a white spot
Way of life
The Demoiselles are mainly residents of slow-flowing rivers and streams, in which the larvae develop the animals. The resting places are usually very close to the water, the animals are less active flight. Like all dragonflies feed on flying insects, which they have no particular specialization.
Two to ten days after hatching from the larvae shell ( exuvia ) the males of the Demoiselles occupies an area for a few days, which also defends it against males of the same species. It marks the area through regular patrols and is with spread wings on exposed areas of the district.
Reproduction
The mating season fly the ready for mating females along the waters. The males recognize females probably due to optical characteristics and react by their appearance in the area with wing struts. Then it flies against the females and accompanied it in a conspicuous fluttering flight. During this flight, it lifts the abdomen, where the bright undersides of the last three segments are clearly visible. These are pink in the blue wing Demoiselle, yellowish at the Banded Demoiselle and the southwestern Demoiselle. The female then follows the male to the egg laying place selected by him. There, the female sits down on a water plant while the male before this with a raised rear end and her hovering. This behavior of the advertising flight in which the male hovers in front of the female in the air and it can hang from the hind wings, and the approach to the female follows.
A pairing occurs when the female does not respond to the approach of the male with an escape. In this case, the male lands on the wings of the female and runs on these to the thorax of the female. There it bends the abdomen forward and engages with the trained on the abdomen Pliers in special pits of the prothorax of the female. This is followed by a short tandem flight of the two animals and a new landing where only the male sits. This pushes the head of the female several times against his copulatory organ in the second abdominal segment, while it bends the abdomen far forward. Then it fills the copulatory organ with sperm from the genital opening of the ninth abdominal segment and stretches the abdomen from. By pulling movements, the female is caused to now turn over his abdomen, thus forming what is necessary to copulation Paarungsrad. Copulation itself lasts about 90 seconds, then loosen the animals. Eggs are laid directly after by pricking the eggs in submerged aquatic plants, while it can also happen that the dragonflies females even submerged. During oviposition, the male sits nearby and watched the female.
The adults have an average lifespan of about 30 days.
Larval development
The larvae of the Demoiselles live between aquatic plants in streams. All glory dragonfly larvae require for their development relatively unpolluted water, the blue wing Demoiselle is slightly more sensitive than the Banded Demoiselle. Like all damselfly larvae also have the larvae of the Demoiselles three leaf-shaped tracheal gills on the abdomen, which have evolved by transformation of the cerci and the Terminalfilum.
The larvae are predators and feed on relatively nonspecific smaller crustaceans, such as the amphipods ( Gammaridae ) and other insect larvae ( midges, mayflies, etc.). The booty is in this case mainly perceived visually or by the registration of water movements. The larvae rotate in the direction of their prey and move slowly on this too. The prey is grasped by the redesigned into a catch mask lower lip, the labium. After eating the prey catching the mask is cleaned with the lower legs of the front legs ( tibia ).
The larval development of the Demoiselles takes in Central Europe about two years, but may be reduced to one year under optimum conditions. The final molt to the imago takes place out of the water to water the plants about 10 to 40 inches above the water level.
System
The Demoiselles about 160 species are now expected to be assigned to 16 genera:
- Archineura Kirby, 1894
- Atrocalopteryx Dumont, Vanfleteren, De Jonckheere & Weekers, 2005
- Bryoplathanon Garrison, 2006
- Hagen in Selys Caliphaea, 1859
- Calopteryx Leach, 1815
- Echo Selys, 1853
- Hagen in Selys Hetaerina, 1853
- Iridictyon Needham & Fisher, 1940
- Matrona Selys, 1853
- Matronoides Förster, 1897
- Mnais Selys, 1853
- Mnesarete Cowley, 1934
- Neuro -based Selys, 1853
- Noguchiphaea Asahina, 1976
- Ormenophlebia Garrison, 2006
- Phaon Selys, 1853
- Psolodesmus McLachlan, 1870
- Sapho Selys, 1853
- Umma Kirby, 1890
- Vestalaria May, 1935
- Vestalis Selys, 1853
The most species-rich genera are Hetaerina with 37 species from the Nearctic and Neotropical, Calopteryx with 29 species in the Palaearctic, Nearctic and Indomalayis and Mnesarete with 22 known species in the Neotropics. The sister group of the Demoiselles represent the Haeterinidae