Petite moss damsel

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Petite moss damsel
Leucorrhinia caudalis, mature male

Leucorrhinia caudalis , mature male

Systematics
Subordination : Dragonflies (Anisoptera)
Superfamily : Libelluloidea
Family : Libellulidae (Libellulidae)
Subfamily : Leucorrhiniinae
Genre : Moss damsel ( Leucorrhinia )
Type : Petite moss damsel
Scientific name
Leucorrhinia caudalis
( Charpentier , 1840)

The petite moss damsel ( Leucorrhinia caudalis ) is a dragonfly from the family of the sailing dragonflies (Libellulidae) and is classified in the genus of the moss damsel ( Leucorrhinia ).

features

The petite moss damsel reaches a wingspan of 6 to 6.5 centimeters and a body length of 30 millimeters. There is a black spot on the base of the hind wing. The males ( pterostigma ) are white from above and dark from below, and in females they are dark brown to black on both sides. Both the male and the female of the adults have the white forehead typical of moss maidens, and the upper abdomen appendages are also white. The abdomen ( abdomen ) of both sexes is club-shaped towards the end. The dainty moss maiden shows sexual dimorphisms in the color of the abdomen: that of the male is black and, with age, gets light blue tires on segments 3 to 5. The abdomen of the female has a yellow spot on the upper side of the abdominal segments 2 to 6, the blue tires are missing.

Similar species

Habitat and Distribution

In the past, Leucorrhinia caudalis was described as a typical dragonfly species from peat bogs, peat cuttings and moraine lakes. However, recent studies have shown that it is not a pure bog dragonfly. This species can also be found in standing, vegetation-rich waters such as larger ponds, ponds, gravel pits, oxbow lakes, bays and other bodies of water in the floodplains of large rivers. The type and density of vegetation - both in the water and in the environment - play a major role. Waters are populated with lush underwater vegetation, mostly in connection with floating leaf vegetation and shrubs (willows) and / or trees near the banks. The bottom of the water must not be too muddy, the banks must have a silting zone with reeds, sedges, rushes, horsetail or the like.

The petite moss damsel is just like the eastern moss damsel a European-West Siberian element of fauna. The main distribution area is in Eastern Europe as well as in Northern Europe in southern Finland, in the south of Sweden and Norway only at local sites. This species is completely absent in Great Britain and Denmark. With a few gaps, their distribution extends as far east as western Siberia. In Western and Central Europe only a few occurrences are known, and these are often older records that have not been confirmed since the early 1990s. In Germany, there are certain occurrences in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg, where they can occur in large numbers in suitable habitats. There are also a few established occurrences in the rest of Germany.

Way of life

The males like to sit on the leaves of sea and pond roses . They have raised their wings slightly and stretch their abdomen upwards. Presumably, the males present their white abdominal appendages in order to impress the females. The petite moss damsel flies from May to July.

Reproduction and development

Newly hatched imago with exuvia

Overall, very little is known about this shy species to this day. They mate on the bank. Then the females throw their eggs into the water in flight. The males probably do not guard this process. Depending on the temperature slips after about 2 to 6 weeks from the egg the Prolarve . During the next two-year development phase, 11 larval stages are assumed. The larvae have a slightly transparent, spotted body, which is likely to make them almost invisible to their predators underwater. They live among aquatic plants most of the time . Compared to all other species of the genus Leucorrhinia, the larvae of the ornamental moss damsel have relatively strong side and back thorns, which means that they can clearly hold their own against fish.

Hazard and protection

newly hatched female before the maiden flight

According to Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive , the petite moss damsel is a “species that must be strictly protected ”, and accordingly it is strictly protected under the German Federal Nature Conservation Act. It is considered a critically endangered species across Europe; It is classified as “critically endangered” (Category 1) in Germany's Red List , as is the case in Austria and Switzerland. The high degree of risk is related to the specific ecological demands on their living space.

This species is extremely sensitive to environmental influences. In the 1980s, well-intentioned interventions to improve water quality ( liming ) led to it in some places completely disappearing. However, according to new studies, the population appears to be stabilizing again. The Zierliche Moosjungfer colonized different biotopes in different regions in 2008 and 2009, where it could even be detected for the first time. Conclusions as to whether advancing climate change or numerous renaturation measures are responsible for a positive population development have not yet been proven.

swell

literature

  • Heiko Bellmann: The Kosmos dragonfly guide . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co., Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-440-10616-7
  • Heidemann / Seidenbusch: The dragonfly larvae in Germany. Verlag Goecke & Evers, Keltern 2002, ISBN 3-931374-07-6
  • Gerhard Jurzitza: The Kosmos-Dragonfly Guide , Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co., Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08402-7
  • Lehmann / Nüß: Identification key for dragonflies. German Youth Association for Nature Observation, Göttingen 1998, ISBN 3-923376-15-4
  • Hans Schiemenz: The dragonflies of our home. Urania Verlag, Jena 1953
  • Klaus Sternberg, Bernd Höppner, Franz-Josef Schiel & Michael Rademacher: Leucorrhinia caudalis (Charpentier, 1840) - petite moss damsel. P. 391–403 in: Sternberg / Buchwald (ed.): Die Libellen Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Red list of dragonflies in Germany at www.libelleninfo.de
  2. ^ Red list of dragonflies in Austria at www.libelleninfo.de
  3. ↑ Red list of dragonflies in Switzerland at www.libelleninfo.de
  4. ↑ Rüdiger Mauersberger: Is Leucorrhinia caudalis increasing recently in northeast Germany? Libellula 28 (1/2), 2009, pp. 69-84.
  5. ↑ Karl Deubelius & Reinhard Jödicke: Leucorrhinia caudalis in North West Germany . Libellula 29 (1/2), 2010, pp. 1-12.

Web links

Commons : Zierliche Moosjungfer  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files