Atlas goldenring  (Cordulegaster princeps)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List 2006 (1).

Also referred to as spiketails and biddies, golden-ringed dragonflies (Cordulegastridae) are large black dragonflies with generally bright yellow rings more or less encircling their abdomen, depending of the species (2) (3). The Atlas goldenring exhibits wide abdominal yellow rings, possesses conspicuous yellow markings on the thorax and the head and has large green eyes. Males and females are similar in appearance but females are larger (2).

This Moroccan endemic is scattered across the Middle and High Atlas ranges (1).

Found in and around mountain brooks between 700 and 2,500 m above sea level (1).

Virtually nothing has been recorded of the Atlas goldenring’s biology and behaviour, but this may be inferred from what is known about C. boltonii, a structurally similar European relative. The eggs hatch 3 to 6 weeks after egg deposition and the larval period should last 2 to 3 years, perhaps more at the highest altitudes. It should include 12 to 14 stadia. After metamorphosis and emergence, adults, which are, like other Odonata species, generalised, opportunistic feeders, feed on flying insects. Males don't establish territories but patrol over long distances along river edges, searching for reproductive females, and stand quite often on herbs or branches exposed to the sun. Females are generally hidden and are much more scarcely observed than males. They lay by driving their eggs in the sandy sediments of rivers and brooks through a rhythmic vertical flight, distinctive of golden-ringed dragonflies (4).

The small, fragmented populations of this rare dragonfly are threatened by the growing human population within their range, and the associated overgrazing by livestock, forest destruction, water pollution and water extraction for human use. Further, drying up of brooks is predicted in the future, due to climatic change (global warming) (1).

There are currently no conservation measures targeting this species, but there is a need to preserve and restore forests, springs and brooks, maintain water quality, and control levels of water harnessing for irrigation (1).

Authenticated (18/12/2006) by Jean-Pierre Boudot, CNRS, Université Henri Poincaré Nancy I, France.

• Endemic: a species or taxonomic group that is only found in one particular country or geographic area.
• Larvae: stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg. Larvae are typically very different in appearance to adults; they are able to feed and move around but usually are unable to reproduce.
• Metamorphosis: an abrupt physical change from the larval to the adult form.
• Thorax: part of the body located near the head in animals. In insects, the three segments between the head and the abdomen, each of which has a pair of legs.

1. IUCN Red List (May, 2006)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. Dijkstra, K.D.B. and Lewington, R. (2006) Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe.British Wildlife Publishing, Gillingham.
3. Dragonflies and Damselflies in Languedoc (September, 2006)
   http://www.ghmahoney.org.uk/insects/dflyl_corga.htm
4. Grand, D. and Boudot, J.P. (2006) Les Libellules de France, Belgique et Luxembourg.Editions Parthénope, Mèze.