Fire dragonfly
| Fire dragonfly | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fire dragonfly ( Crocothemis erythraea ), male |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Crocothemis erythraea | ||||||||||||
| ( Brullé , 1832) |
The fire dragonfly ( Crocothemis erythraea ) is an originally mainly African and Mediterranean common dragonfly species from the family of the sail dragonflies (Libellulidae), which belong to the large dragonflies ( Anisoptera ). In 2011 it was named Dragonfly of the Year in Germany .
features
_-_hembra.jpg)
The mature males of the fire dragonfly are signal red, whereby the intensity of the red coloration is evidently related to the ambient temperature. Central European animals sometimes appear brownish-red, unlike in Mediterranean countries. The females are ocher to light brown; they also have a noticeable light dorsal line between the wing bases. Fire dragonflies are usually between 40 and 45 millimeters long. They reach wing spans of 65 to 70 millimeters. In both sexes there is a distinct yellow-orange spot on the base of the hind wings, and a smaller one on the base of the forewings. The pterostigma (wing mark) is yellowish to brown.
Due to their coloration, fire dragonflies can be confused with red darter species ( Sympetrum spp.), Especially with the blood-red darter . However, they differ from these by their flatter abdomen and their relatively large body. In addition, the legs of the males are red. The not yet colored adults and the females look similar to some blue arrow species ( Orthetrum spp.). In contrast to these, the female fire dragonfly have an ovipositor that protrudes approximately vertically. The spotted sun pointer ( Trithemis kirbyi ) also looks similar to the fire dragonfly, although the wing veins are also colored red.
distribution
Fire dragonflies are native to the warm regions of southern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In the 1990s, the species also spread to southern Germany, where it is now not uncommon. The fire dragonfly is currently continuously expanding its area in Central Europe and is now likely to be found in almost all of Germany. Since 2007 it has even been observed increasingly in Schleswig-Holstein. The flight time here ranges from late June to mid / late August, in southern Europe for at least two generations from May to October.
Before its recently increasing down-to-earthness in Central Europe, the fire dragonfly was regarded as a distinct wandering dragonfly, which flew in large numbers from the Mediterranean to Central Europe in warm summers. The expansion of their area to the north is associated with climate change .
Habitat and way of life
The species lives mainly in stagnant waters, where larval development also takes place. In Central Europe these are mainly still waters with a lush array of submerged vegetation, such as B. thousand leaf ( Myriophyllum spp.), Such as oxbow lakes and sand pit ponds. In the warmer Mediterranean region, however, the larvae develop into short-lived small ponds in almost every still water.
The males like to sit on the ground or in the vegetation close to the ground. Like all dragonflies, this species is predatory and particularly hunts small insects .
The pairing takes place in a few seconds in flight. The females then immediately dip the eggs in flight with the tip of their abdomen in the water, whereby the eggs are often stripped off on flowing water plants or algae floss. This often happens far from the shore. The males do not guard the females.
Larval development
The larvae live on the bottom of the water or on aquatic plants . As a rule, they need a year for their development in Central Europe, but in warm summers they can be completed more quickly and train a second generation. In hotter regions, the larvae develop much faster. Fire dragonfly larvae are very similar to those of darter dragonflies due to the narrowing of the head behind the eyes, but have no dorsal spines, among other things.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Online report of the NABU Schleswig-Holstein ( memento of the original from September 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
literature
- Klaus Sternberg: Observations on the fire dragonfly (Crocothemis erythraea) near Freiburg im Breisgau (Odonata: Libellulidae). In: Publications for nature conservation and landscape management in Baden-Württemberg. Volume 64/65, 1989, pp. 237-254 ( PDF ).
- Gerhard Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7 .
- Klaus Sternberg, Bernd Höppner: Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé, 1832). In: Klaus Sternberg, Bernd Höppner (Hrsg.): Die Libellen Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0 , pp. 374-384.
- Heiko Bellmann: The Kosmos dragonfly guide. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-440-10616-7 .
Web links
- Taxonomy for "Fauna Europaea" (Engl.)
- Photos of the species on www.feuerlibellen.de by Bernd Lissner
- Crocothemis erythraea inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Clausnitzer, V., 2011. Accessed February 23, 2014.
Fire Dragonfly (2011) | Teal Maiden (2012) | Spear Azure Maiden (2013) | Little Moss Maiden (2014) | Spotted Darter (2015) | Common Binsenjungfer (2016) | Common Wedgeon (2017) | Dwarf Dragonfly (2018) | Spotted Darter (2019)