Bilek's Azure Maiden
| Bilek's Azure Maiden | ||||||||||||
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_(Siberian_Bluet_(ssp._freyi))_-_(male_imago),_Tirol,_Austria.jpg)
Bilek's Azure damsel ( Coenagrion hylas ) |
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| Coenagrion hylas | ||||||||||||
| ( Trybom , 1889) |
Bilek's Azure damsel ( Coenagrion hylas ), also known as the Siberian Azure damsel , is a species of dragonfly from the family of the slender dragonflies (Coenagrionidae). These belong to the dragonflies (Zygoptera).
features
Bilek's Azurjungfer has a body length of up to 38 millimeters and a wingspan of up to 56 millimeters. Like all azure maidens , it is colored black and blue with a rich contrast. Their coloring differs from those of other azure maidens in that in both sexes the black markings on the abdominal segments merge laterally into a continuous line. The underside of the males is black throughout.
The only Azure damsel with a similar pattern is the Nordic Azure damsel ( Coenagrion johanssoni ). However, this is much smaller and is distributed in northern Scandinavia and the Baltic States .
The basic blue color of the females turns green on the thorax and the last abdominal segments.
Diffusion and protection
The species lives in North Asia from the Urals to Japan , with the main focus in East Siberia ; in Europe it was first discovered at Zwingsee in Upper Bavaria and eradicated within ten years, probably through collection and environmental destruction. There are currently about ten known occurrences in Western Austria . In Germany and Switzerland , the species is considered extinct.
Coenagrion hylas is under strict protection in Europe and is listed in the Habitats Directive in Appendix II (“special protected areas are to be designated”) and in Appendix II of the Bern Convention .
Habitat and way of life
In Europe, Bilek's Azurjungfer prefers to live near small mountain lakes fed by calcareous springs, the flat banks of which are covered with sedges and horsetail .
The flight time lasts from May to August, with a maximum in June and July. Bilek's Azure Maiden is considered very inactive. It generally only flies on sunny days and then in the four hours around noon.
Taxonomy
The species was first discovered in Europe in 1952 by Alois Bilek and described as Agrion freyi . Whether the populations living in Europe are to be regarded as a separate subspecies ( Coenagrion hylas freyi ) or even as a separate species has not yet been conclusively clarified.
literature
- Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-440-10616-7
- Gerhard Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7
- Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra: Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe . British Wildlife Publishing, Gilingham 2006, ISBN 0-9531399-4-8
