The northern emerald (''Somatochlora arctica'') is a middle-sized
species of
dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...
first described by
Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1840. The male can be recognised by its pincer-like appendages and its narrow-waisted body. The female has distinctive orange-yellow spots on (only) the third segment of the
abdomen.
This species lives in
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...
s and lays its eggs in very small water-filled depressions. It hunts between trees and avoids open spaces.
In
Great Britain, it is only present in north-western
Scotland and is confined to the south-western part of
Ireland.
It is present in all of northern
Eurasia. In
Western Europe, it is present in alpine areas and wherever a suitable habitat can be found. It is found in the
Rila
Rila ( bg, Рила, ) is the highest mountain range of Bulgaria, the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula and Southeast Europe. It is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and forms part of the Rila–Rhodope Mountains, Rhodope Massif. The highest summit is Mus ...
mountains of
Bulgaria.
References
Corduliidae
Dragonflies of Europe
Insects described in 1840
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