Saddlecloth
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Saddleback dragonfly ( Anax ephippiger ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anax ephippiger | ||||||||||||
| ( Burmeister , 1839) |
The pelmet dragonfly or valances King dragonfly ( Anax ephippiger ) is usually in older literature nor to the genus Hemianax asked. It is a species of dragonfly from the family of the noble dragonflies (Aeshnidae), which belong to the suborder of the large dragonflies (Anisoptera). It is a large type of dragonfly with a wingspan of no more than 10.5 centimeters.
features
The vial dragonfly reaches wingspans of 9 to 10.5 centimeters. The chest section ( thorax ) of the animals is greenish-brown in color, the abdomen ( abdomen ) sand-brown with a dark brown pattern. The upper area of the first abdominal segments in the male animals has a blue-violet spot reminiscent of a saddle pad.
The color of the eyes is important for differentiating the saddlecloth dragonfly in the field from the somewhat larger small royal dragonfly, Anax parthenope . These are brown at the top and green-yellow at the bottom of the vial. A. parthenope , on the other hand, has green eyes.
habitat
The core habitat of the dragonfly is the tropical, monsoon-influenced Africa south of the Sahara as well as the Near and Middle East. In these arid and semi-arid areas, it populates stagnant bodies of water such as shallow lakes, swamps and other small bodies of water that exist for at least a few weeks after rainfall. In the German-speaking area they colonize ponds in gravel pits, quarry ponds, fish ponds, backwaters, newly created ponds and other stagnant or very slowly flowing bodies of water in open countryside. Waters with flat banks with patchy vegetation and often in full sun, which warm up quickly, are preferred. The dragonfly even tolerates brackish water. The similarity of the habitat with the waters in the main distribution area seems to be important.
Way of life
As a classic wandering dragonfly, the species starts out from its core habitat between October and December in large swarms on long wandering flights that lead it over extremely long distances. These animals regularly reach z. B. the Canary Islands and southern Europe, from the Iberian Peninsula to the Black Sea. Individual migrating individuals have even been detected as far as Iceland, but Central Europe can also be reached in favorable years without any problems. In southern Europe - sometimes also in Central Europe - these migrants then produce a summer generation of larvae that develop again into dragonfly images in shallow, warm, mostly temporary waters in a few weeks. Not much is known about the whereabouts of these European individuals, but it is likely that the animals will migrate back south in autumn. The overwintering of larvae of the species in Europe can be practically ruled out and only in rare exceptional cases z. B. possible in Andalusia.
The dragonflies are therefore fast and persistent fliers, but they also like to sit on the ground. Mating also takes place on the ground. The eggs are almost always laid in tandem, with the female piercing the eggs into floating parts of plants or mud.
literature
- H. Bellmann: Observe dragonflies - determine. Naturbuch Verlag, Augsburg 1993.
- K. Burbach, M. Winterholler: The invasion of Hemianax ephippiger (Burmeister) in Central and Northern Europe 1995/1996 (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae). In: Libellula. 16, 1997, 1997, pp. 33-59.
- G. Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2000.
- G. Peters: The noble dragonflies of Europe - Aeshnidae. (= Die Neue Brehm-Bücherei. Volume 585). Ziemsen, Wittenberg Lutherstadt 1987, ISBN 3-7403-0050-7 .
- G. Peters: Unknown acquaintances: the Anax species in Europe (Odonata: Aeshnidae). In: Libellula. 19, 2000, pp. 53-64.
- A. Günther: Anax ephippiger in Europe - always invasions in a dead end? (Odonata: Aeshnidae). In: Libellula. 24, 2005, pp. 241-247.
- K. Sternberg: Hemianax ephippiger (Burmeister, 1839) - vial dragonfly. In: Klaus Sternberg, Rainer Buchwald (Hrsg.): Die Libellen Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0 , pp. 158-172.
- H. Wildermuth, A. Martens: Pocket dictionary of dragonflies in Europe. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2014. ISBN 978-3-494-01558-3 , pp. 339-345
Web links
- Anax ephippiger inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.1. Posted by: Subramanian, K., 2010. Retrieved October 12, 2013.