Banded demoiselle  (Calopteryx splendens)

Not threatened (2).

The banded demoiselle has the same style of butterfly-like flitting flight as that of the beautiful demoiselle (C. virgo) (3). Males have a metallic bluish-green body with a central band of blackish-blue pigment on the wings. The females are metallic green and lack the band on the wings (3). Males of this species can be distinguished from those of the similar species, the beautiful demoiselle, as the pigmentation on the wing forms a distinct band, whereas in the latter species this is broader and more extensive, covering much of the wing (4).

In Britain, this species tends to occur south of a line drawn between Blackpool and Middlesbrough, but with a few scattered populations in the Lake District (3). Elsewhere it is found in central and southern mainland Europe (2), across Asia to China (4).

Inhabits slow-moving rivers, ponds and other still water-bodies (2).

The larvae occur amongst roots or aquatic plants. They are active mainly at night, and like other damselfly larvae are active predators. Larval development takes around two years, and they overwinter twice in the mud at the bottom of the river or pond (3). Larvae often travel for up to 100m out of water before the adult emergence occurs, typically in a shrub or tree (3). The flight period of adults is between May and the end of September (2). They take 7-10 days to mature following emergence, after which time they fly to breeding sites. Males hold territories around suitable egg-laying sites amongst vegetation that protrudes from the water, or they perch on vegetation at the riverside (4). Whilst the territory-holding males actively court females with a fluttering display flight (3), perching males try to mate with any female that passes by (4). Occasionally, males will fight over a territory, engaging in contest of a series of stereotypical flights for hours (3). After mating, females oviposit alone, often placing the eggs into the tissues of submerged vegetation (4). The eggs take around 14 days to hatch (3).

This species is not threatened.

Conservation action is not required for this species (4).

For more information on dragonflies and damselflies see The British Dragonfly Society:
http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/

For more on invertebrates and their conservation see Buglife, the invertebrate conservation trust:
http://www.buglife.org.uk/

• 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.
• Larval: of the stage in an animal’s lifecycle after it hatches from the egg.
• Oviposit: Oviposition is egg-laying in insects, using a specialised organ called an ovipositor.

1. National Biodiversity Network Species Dictionary (January2004): http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nbn
2. D’Aguilar, J., Dommanget, J-L, & Prechard, R. (1986) A field guide to the dragonflies of Britain, Europe and North Africa. William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, London.
3. Brooks, S. (1997) Field guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing, Hampshire.
4. Nelson, B., Thompson, R., & Morrow, C. (2000) [In] DragonflyIreland (February 2004): http://www.habitas.org.uk/dragonflyireland/5617.htm