Peat damsel
| Peat damsel | ||||||||||||
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Peat damsel ( Aeshna juncea ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Aeshna juncea | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The common hawker ( Aeshna juncea ) is a dragonfly from the family of aeshnidae (Aeshnidae) which the subordination of the dragonfly belong (Anisoptera). The peat mosaic maiden is a large dragonfly with a wingspan of a maximum of 10.5 centimeters.
features
The peat mosaic maiden reaches wingspans of 9 to 10.5 centimeters and is one of the largest dragonflies in Central Europe. The chest section ( thorax ) of the animals is colored gray-brown and has yellow side and dorsal stripes. There is a risk of confusion with the raised bog maidenhead ( Aeshna subarctica ) as well as with young and not yet colored specimens of the blue-green maidenhead ( Aeshna cyanea ). The abdomen of the males is black with a clear and very strong blue mark on the top.
Construction of the larva
The larva differs from the other Central European Aeshnids by the combination of the following features:
- The capture mask is short and trapezoidal (Fig. 3).
- The cercia are only half as long as the anal pyramid (Fig. 4).
- The lateral spine of the 9th abdominal segment is less than half as long as the 10th abdominal segment (Fig. 4).
Way of life
The peat damsel is active in the months of July to September and is mainly found in bog waters . The males sunning themselves on tree trunks can be found especially in the late afternoon on sunny days.
The males often patrol along the banks where they are actively looking for females. Mating begins above the water and mostly ends in the vegetation. The female pierces the eggs in plants near the surface of the water.
Larval development
The larvae of the peat damsel hatch about 10 months after the eggs are laid, so the eggs overwinter. The development time of the larvae is two to three years. It is not uncommon for the larvae to be found hanging from floating parts of plants in the breeding waters.
threat
This dragonfly, like many other types of bog, is losing its habitat, especially as a result of the increasing destruction of the moor waters, especially the drainage of the same. For this reason it is classified in Germany's Red List in hazard category 3 - endangered.
literature
- H. Bellmann: Observe dragonflies - determine. Naturbuch Verlag Augsburg 1993, ISBN 3-89440-107-9 .
- G. Jurzitza: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co., Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7 .
- G. Peter: The noble dragonflies of Europe. The New Brehm Library. Volume 585, Wittenberg 1987, ISBN 3-7403-0050-7 .
- K. Sternberg: Aeshna juncea Linnaeus, 1758 - Peat mosaic maiden. In: Sternberg / Buchwald (ed.): Die Libellen Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0 , pp. 68-82.
