- Scarce Emerald Damselfly
Taxobox
name = Scarce Emerald Damselfly
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Arthropod a
classis =Insect a
ordo =Odonata
subordo =Zygoptera
familia =Lestidae
genus = "Lestes "
species = "L. dryas"
binomial = "Lestes dryas"
binomial_authority = (Kirby, 1890)The Scarce Emerald Damselfly ("Lestes dryas") is a species of
damselfly . In Britain, it is found only inEssex ,Suffolk andNorfolk and is a rare and enigmatic species, which tolerates extreme conditions that few other dragonflies can survive.Identification
Like the
Emerald Damselfly , both sexes have largely metallic green bodies with a bronzeiridescence , and often rest with their wings half spread.The male has blue eyes. Powder blue
pruinescence develops on the front and end of theabdomen , thepronotum and the sides of the thorax.The female has brown eyes, a chunky abdomen, lacking any blue, with beige underparts.
Eggs and larva
Elongated eggs are laid, usually above water, into plant stems, such as rushes, which are covered as water levels rise in winter. The eggs hatch in Spring and the larvae emerge after about eight weeks.
They breed mainly round the
Thames estuary and in a few inland lakes in Norfolk andIreland .Behaviour
Adults fly from June to August, slightly earlier in summer than the
Emerald Damselfly and tend to live in dense vegetation.Population in Britain
It was believed to be extinct in Britain before being rediscovered in 1983. Since then it has been found at several sites in south-east England.
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