Large White-faced Darter

Large white-faced darter ( Leucorrhinia pectoralis ), female

The Great leuccorhinia ( Leucorrhinia pectoralis ) is a medium sized dragonfly species from the family of sailing Dragonflies ( Libellulidae ) and is in the genus of moss Virgin ( Leucorrhinia ) classified. The first description was in 1825 on the basis of a male animal from Europe by Charpentier. The holotype of this description is based is now in the Natural History Museum in Paris.

Features

The Great leuccorhinia reaches a body length of 3.5 to 4.5 centimeters and a wingspan of an average of 5.5 to 6.5 centimeters. At the base of the wings there is sometimes a black shadow, which can also missing in the front wings. Typical of young males is the chain of yellow spots on the segments of the abdomen, which discolor with age, however, to brown. However, an exception is the last spot on segment 7, which is a species-typical, glowing yellow ( lemon yellow ) is also in aged animals, " bottom ". The " burly " acting females, however, have large, dark yellow abdomen spots.

Similar species include the Nordic leuccorhinia ( Leucorrhinia rubicunda ) and the little white-faced darter ( Leucorrhinia dubia ), both of which can also occur syntopic.

Habitat and behavior

Preferred development sunlit waters, fish -free and mesotrophic standing waters, especially in marshy areas. The waters, such as abandoned peat, need some open areas, completely overgrown waters are shunned by the way.

The males will operate in the waters usually lazy and like to sit on vertical plant structures, such as blades of grass, sedges, cattails or the fruit stands of wool grass. Stray animals, however, are also not rare to find off the development waters. The flight time of the species is from early May to mid-July.

Mating begins in flight. Thereafter, the pair sits for about 15 minutes in the vegetation on the banks. The eggs are exposed under the guard of the male into the water - to shallow, well heated bodies on a dark background. The adults can travel long distances and they are also found in waters that are hardly suitable for a development of the larvae.

The larvae usually have a two - or three-year time-to- emergence. However, it was already a year-long larval development time be detected, but this is the exception. The larvae reach a body length of 20 to 22 mm.

Threats and conservation

According to the Federal Nature Conservation Act is the Great leuccorhinia " strictly protected " in the Fauna-Flora -Habitat Directive it is out in Annexes II and IV.

In the German Red List the species is classified as " critically endangered ". The reasons for this are the draining of ponds ( the effects of frost on the pond bottom ), pollutant and nutrient inputs into surface waters, to intensive fishing commercial usages, for the destruction of underwater and river bank vegetation or entire bodies of water ( eg by backfilling ), the complete silting of existing larvae waters and the drainage of peatlands and Abtorfung.