White-legged Damselfly

Taxobox
name = White-legged Damselfly

---

regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Odonata
subordo = Zygoptera
familia = Platycnemididae
genus = "Platycnemis"
species = "P. pennipes"
binomial = "Platycnemis pennipes"
binomial_authority = (Pallas, 1771)

The White-legged Damselfly ("Platycnemis pennipes") is a damselfly of slow-flowing, muddy waters. [Field Guide to Dragonflies of Britain and Europe Dijkstra/Lewington]

Morphology

Mature adults differ from most other blue damselflies in having expanded white edges to the tibiae, paired black markings down most of the abdomen, broad pale brown double antehumeral stripes, wider head and a pale brown pterostigmata. [Field Guide to Dragonflies of Britain and Europe Dijkstra/Lewington]

The male has a blue abdomen that is often pale and usually has a greenish thorax.

The female is a very pale yellow-green colour with black markings.

Breeding

This species favours unshaded slow-flowing sections of muddy rivers with abundant floating vegetation. it has been recorded in tidal rivers and the larvae seem well able to tolerate brackish water. It also occurs in muddy streams but is rare in lakes or ponds of any sort. [Field Guide to Dragonflies of Britain and Europe Dijkstra/Lewington]

Mating is preceded by the male displaying his white legs. Elongated eggs are laid whilst in tandem, into emergent stems and especially the underside of floating leaves. The larvae live amongst bottom debris and emerge after two years.

Behaviour

After emerging, adults tend to congregate in the shelter of tall vegetation, although some immatures wander away from water and have been found five kilometres away from the nearest breeding site.