The Beautiful Demoiselle is a European Damselfly. A damselfly is an insect that is like a dragonfly, but the wings are above the body.  

 

It only lives in the southern half of Ireland, near rivers. It is one of the largest damselflies in Ireland and as 45mm. The other largest damselfly is the Banded Demoiselle. The Banded Demoiselle is the closest relative to the Beautiful Demoiselle. These two are the only one that is in the Caloperygidae family.

 

The color of the male Beautiful Demoiselle is it has dark brown-black wingtips with blue veins. Immature ones have much paler browner wings. They have metallic blue-green bodies and metallic blue-green eyes. The color of females are dark brown iridescent wings, a white patch near the tip of the wings and have metallic green bodies with bronze a tip at the abdomen.

 

The females lay up to 300 eggs at a time and lay it on emergent or a floating plant it usually on water-footcrow. They submerge to do it and hatch around 14 days. Their Larva has stick-like long legs and develops over 2 years on submerged vegetation, like a plant or debris. They overwinter in mud and slime. The males are territorial and have there own perch that are by plants, and trees. They would chase insect when they pass by there perch and usually return to the same perch.

 

Male is able to go a little farther away from water. The females could stay away from water too, but don’t only there laying eggs or seeking a mate. They only come out at June-September. You could find them on rivers that flow normally that are on stony and gravelly beds. It can also be found along wooded streams. There are areas like in Ireland in Northern Ireland, but can’t find any.

 

Author: Jihad S

Published: 02/2008

 

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Demoiselle http://www.uksafari.com/beautifuldemoiselle.htm http://www.butterfly-guide.co.uk/survival/odonata/od3.htm

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