''Chalcolestes viridis'', formerly ''Lestes viridis'', is a

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along ...

of the family

Lestidae The Lestidae are a rather small family of cosmopolitan, large-sized, slender damselflies, known commonly as the spreadwings or spread-winged damselflies. Characteristics While most damselflies rest with their wings folded together, most member ...

. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly, the green emerald damselfly, or the western willow spreadwing. It has an elongated abdomen and pale brown spots on its wings and resides in areas of still water with overhanging trees.

Taxonomy

The genus ''

Chalcolestes ''Chalcolestes'' is a small genus of damselfly in the family Lestidae. They are commonly known as Willow Spreadwings. They are similar to the Spreadwings of the genus Lestes. The name ''Chalcolestes'' comes from Greek Greek may refer to: Gree ...

'' is separated from ''

Lestes ''Lestes'' is a genus of damselfly in the family Lestidae. The family hold their wings at about 45 degrees to the body when resting. This distinguishes them from most other species of damselflies which hold the wings along, and parallel to, the ...

'' because of differences in their larvae. A closely related species '' C. parvidens'' used to be considered a sub-species of ''C. viridis''. ''C. parvidens'' occurs in Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia and in Italy; near Rome it flies with ''C. viridis'' in the same ponds. There are small morphological differences between the two species both as adults and larvae and analysis of proteins from the two species, by electrophoresis, also supports their separation into two species, but they are hard to tell apart in the field. ''C. parvidens'' flies earlier in the year than ''C. viridis''.

Distribution and habitat

''C. viridis'' is found across southern and central Europe and in North Africa. In the eastern mediterranean it is replaced by '' C. parvidens'' with areas of overlap in Italy and the Balkans. ''C. viridis'' is found on many

mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

islands including Corsica,

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Mallorca,

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...

and Ibiza, in the Maghreb in North Africa, Turkey and the Middle East. However many of the old records for ''C. viridis'' in the east of its range could be for '' C. parvidens''. It occurs in still or slow flowing water in ditches, ponds, lakes and canals, with overhanging willows, alders or birches, which are used for breeding. Of all the European ''

'' it is the species, along with '' C. parvidens'', that will lay eggs in where there is running water. The adults are often found in the bushes which grow over or alongside water.

Status in Britain

In Britain it was a rare vagrant and is now a new colonist. It is widespread on Jersey.

Identification

In the field it is not possible to reliably distinguish ''C. viridis'' from '' C. parvidens''. Both species are mainly metallic green, like other

damselflies, but larger and darker but they do not have a powder blue

pruinescence Pruinescence , or pruinosity, is a "frosted" or dusty-looking coating on top of a surface. It may also be called a pruina (plural: ''pruinae''), from the Latin word for hoarfrost. The adjectival form is pruinose . Entomology In insects, a "blo ...

which is common in other

. The pterostigma is pale brown and outlined in black. The

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

has thin yellow antehumerals and broader yellow stripe above a thin black line on each side; the upper edge of the stripe is irregular. Both ''C. viridis'' and '' C. parvidens'' have a prominent spur-like marking on the side of the thorax. Male – The

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

is very long. The lower anal appendages are less than half the length of the upper which are a distinctive pale yellow with black tips. Female – The ovipositor is longer than in ''

Lestes dryas ''Lestes dryas'' is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. Its common names include emerald spreadwing, scarce emerald damselfly and robust spreadwing.Boudot, J. 2014''Lestes dryas''.The IUCN Red List of Threatened Specie ...

''.

Behaviour

Flight period is late from August to October although in the southernmost parts of its range it can occur as early as May and persist until November. Mature males defend vertical territories in marginal shrubs and small trees where they find and mate with females in the normal damselfly manner forming the wheel position. Egg laying occurs with the pair in tandem, the eggs being laid into incisions in the bark of overhanging branches, not into submerged vegetation as is the case in many damselflies. Egg laying can result in distinct oval galls forming in the shrub's bark. The eggs develop rapidly for a few weeks and then enter a diapause state. In this state the eggs development is very slow and it is in this state that the eggs overwinter. The following spring the eggs hatch, the larvae drop into the water and start to develop. Growth is rapid and adults can emerge in a couple of months. After emerging the adults move away from water to mature. In this stage of their life-cycle the immature adults cannot breed. The adults need a period of time for their reproductive organs to develop and this non-breeding period also stops the adults breeding too early in the season. If the females lay eggs early in the year the eggs will develop when it is to warm to for them to enter diapause. They might hatch out before winter and the resultant larva will die when winter temperatures occur. When fully mature the adults return to water and start breeding.

Notes

References

* Askew, R.R. (2004) The Dragonflies of Europe. (revised ed.) Harley Books. p61. * d'Aguilar, J., Dommanget, JL., and Prechac, R. (1986) A field guide to the Dragonflies of Britain, Europe and North Africa. Collins. pp336. * Boudot JP., et al. (2009) Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Libellula Supplement 9:1-256. * Dijkstra, K-D.B & Lewington, R. (2006) Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. British Wildlife Publishing. . * Gibbons, R.B., (1986). Dragonflies and Damselflies of Britain and Northern Europe. Country Life Books. . pp58–59.

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2140604 Lestidae Damselflies of Europe Odonata of Africa Insects of North Africa Insects described in 1825 Taxa named by Pierre Léonard Vander Linden