Green maid of honor
| Green maid of honor | ||||||||||||
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Green damsel ( Aeshna viridis ), older male |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aeshna viridis | ||||||||||||
| Eversmann , 1836 |
The green damsel ( Aeshna viridis ) is a type of dragonfly from the family of the noble dragonflies (Aeshnidae), which belong to the suborder of the large dragonflies (Anisoptera). The green maidenhead is a large dragonfly with a maximum wingspan of 8.5 centimeters.
features
The green mosaic maiden reaches wingspans of 8 to 8.5 centimeters. The chest section ( thorax ) of the animals is colored yellow-green, whereby the side surfaces are also green and do not have a conspicuous line drawing as with the autumn mosaic maid ( Aeshna mixta ). On the upper side of the thorax they have two large green spots, which, unlike the blue-green mosaic maiden ( Aeshna cyanea ), are never really oval, but can look very similar. Both species differ in the drawing of the abdomen and the sides of the thorax, which are almost monochrome in Aeshna viridis and in Aeshna cyanea with clear black lines. The abdomen of the males is dark brown to black with blue markings, that of the females is brown with green markings.
Way of life
The green mosaic maiden can be found in the months of July to October in stagnant waters of northern central Europe including northern Germany. Their occurrence is dependent on the existence of the crab claws ( Stratiotes aloides ), into which the females prick almost exclusively their eggs. Their hunting flights usually take place at dusk.
In the morning the dragonflies can be found on plants near the water. The males fly over the floating turf of the crab claws in search of a suitable partner. They try to keep other males, but also dragonflies of other species (e.g. Aeshna grandis) away from the spawning waters. The mating takes place with a very high probability at the water's edge or on the bank. In good weather, the females fly into the evening with a loudly audible wing noise to lay their eggs between the crab claw blades.
Larval development
The eggs overwinter as such, and the larvae do not hatch until the following year. The larval development takes two to three years. Hatching takes place in July.
Exuvia from above
Laterally
Danger
The green maid of the mosaic is listed in category 1 - critically endangered - in Germany's red list . The disappearance of the dragonfly is due to its close connection to the crab claws, due to the same causes as the disappearance of the plant.
Legal protection status (selection)
- Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG): particularly protected
National Red List classifications (selection)
- Red List of the Federal Republic of Germany: 1 - critically endangered
The green damsel is listed in Annex IV of Directive 92/43 / EEC (Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive) and is therefore one of the species of Community interest in the European Union . The German occurrences are limited to the north German lowlands. The conservation status of the species in Germany is rated in the Atlantic biogeographical region with the worst category U2 (unfavorable-bad), in the continental region with U1 (unfavorable-inadequate). The long-term population trend is falling sharply in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
literature
- Heiko Bellmann: Observe dragonflies - determine. Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-89440-107-9 .
- Gerhard Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7 .
- G. Peter: The noble dragonflies of Europe. (= Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Volume 585). Lutherstadt Wittenberg 1987, ISBN 3-7403-0050-7 .
- K. Sternberg: Aeshna viridis Eversmann, 1836 - Green mosaic maid. In: Sternberg / Buchwald (ed.): Die Libellen Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0 , pp. 110-114.
Web links
- Image of a male
- Aeshna viridis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Sahlén, G., 2006. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Aeshna viridis at www.wisia.de
- ↑ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (ed.): Red list of endangered animals, plants and fungi in Germany 1: Vertebrates. Landwirtschaftsverlag, Münster 2009, ISBN 978-3-7843-5033-2 .
- ↑ Green damsel (Aeshna viridis) in BfN Federal Agency for Nature Conservation: Internet handbook dragonflies (last change: December 1, 2011)
- ↑ Green maidenhead (Aeshna viridis) in the internet manual on the species of the Habitats Directive Annex IV, published by the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. Status: 2013. download