Chalcolestes parvidens

Chalcolestes parvidens
	Male
	Female; both in Cyprus
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Lestidae
Genus:	Chalcolestes
Species:	C. parvidens
Binomial name
	Chalcolestes parvidens; (Artobelevski, 1929)
Synonyms
	Lestes parvidensArtobelevski 1929

Last updated January 05, 2023

Chalcolestes parvidens, formerly Lestes parvidens,^[1]^[2] is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name in English is the eastern willow spreadwing.^[1]^[3]

Taxonomy

The genus Chalcolestes is separated from Lestes because of differences in their larvae. C. parvidens is closely related to C. viridis and used to be considered a subspecies of C. viridis, however there are small morphological differences between the two species both as adults and larvae and analysis of proteins from the two species, by electrophoresis, also supports their separation into two species, but they are hard to tell apart in the field.

Distribution and habitat

Chalcolestes parvidens is found in eastern and central Europe, in Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Turkey. It is found on islands in the eastern Mediterranean; on Cyprus, Corsica, Crete and Sicily. In Italy and the Balkans both C. parvidens and C. viridis occur together. It is only in the last 20 years that odonaterists have been separating C. parvidens from C. viridis so some of the older records for C. viridis will probably be for C. parvidens.

Identification

In the field it is not possible to reliably distinguish C. viridis from C. parvidens. Both species are mainly metallic green, like the Lestes damselflies, but larger and darker but they do not have a powder blue pruinescence which is common in Lestes. The pterostigma is pale brown and outlined in black. The thorax has thin yellow antehumerals and broader yellow stripe above a thin black line on each side; the upper edge of the stripe is irregular. Both C. viridis and C. parvidens have a prominent spur-like marking on the side of the thorax.

Behaviour

Flight period is generally from May to November. In Cyprus, the flight season is from early April to January.^[4] Behaviour is similar to that described in C. viridis. It hangs with wings spread wide, often in the shade of trees near breeding water.^[5] Mature males defend vertical territories in marginal shrubs and small trees where they find and mate with females in the normal damselfly manner forming the wheel position. Egg laying occurs with the pair in tandem, the eggs being laid into incisions in the bark of overhanging branches, not into submerged vegetation as is the case in many damselflies. Egg laying can result in distinct oval galls forming in the shrub's bark. The eggs develop rapidly for a few weeks and then enter a diapause state. In this state the eggs development is very slow and it is in this state that the eggs overwinter. The following spring the eggs hatch, the larvae drop into the water and start to develop. Growth is rapid and adults can emerge in a couple of months. After emerging the adults move away from water to mature. In this stage of their life-cycle which in C. parvidens is quite long, the immature adults cannot breed. The adults need a period of time for their reproductive organs to develop and this non-breeding period also stops the adults breeding too early in the season. If the females lay eggs early in the year the eggs will develop when it is to warm to for them to enter diapause. They might hatch out before winter and the resultant larva will die when winter temperatures occur. When fully mature the adults return to water and start breeding.

Notes

1 2 3 Kalkman, V.J. (2014). "Lestes parvidens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T165493A19165141. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T165493A19165141.en . Retrieved 4 January 2023.
↑ Dennis Paulson; Martin Schorr; Cyrille Deliry. "World Odonata List". University of Puget Sound . Retrieved 15 Feb 2022.
↑ "Checklist, English common names". DragonflyPix.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
↑ Sparrow, David J; Sparrow, Rosalyn & De Knijf, Geert (2016). Sparrow, David J. & John, Eddie (eds.). An Introduction to the Wildlife of Cyprus. Terra Cypria. ISBN 978-9963-601-45-5.
↑ Smallshire, Dave & Swash, Andy (2020). Europe's Dragonflies. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-16895-1.

Related Research Articles

Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. An ancient group, damselflies have existed since at least the Lower Permian beginning about 299 million years ago, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migrant hawker</span> Species of dragonfly

The migrant hawker is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies. It can be found away from water but for breeding it prefers still or slow-flowing water and can tolerate brackish sites. The flight period is from July to the end of October. A. mixta occurs in North Africa, southern and central Europe to the Baltic region.

Enallagma cyathigerum is a species found mainly between latitudes 40°N and 72°N; It is widely distributed in the Palearctic, and the Nearctic species Enallagma annexum was at one time considered to be synonymous with it. The species can reach a length of 32 to 35 mm. It is common in many different countries including Russia, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the United States of America, and South Korea. Damselflies are an important link between the health of the aquatic ecosystem and its response to climate change.

The beautiful demoiselle is a European damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along fast-flowing waters where it is most at home.

The large red damselfly is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae.

Lestes virens is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the small spreadwing or small emerald spreadwing. It is native to much of Europe and western and central Asia.

Lestes macrostigma is a species of damselfly of the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known by the common name dark spreadwing. It is native to much of southern Europe, its distribution extending into western Asia.

Sympecma fusca, the common winter damselfly, is a damselfly a member of the Lestidae and related to the emeralds or spreadwings.

Lestes praemorsus is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae. It is commonly known as the scalloped spreadwing or sapphire-eyed spreadwing. It is very widely distributed from India to China and south to New Guinea.

<i>Lestes barbarus</i> Species of damselfly

Lestes barbarus is a species of damselfly of the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. Its common names in English include southern emerald damselfly, shy emerald damselfly, and migrant spreadwing.

Lestes sponsa, is a damselfly, with a wide Palaearctic distribution. It is known commonly as the emerald damselfly or common spreadwing. Both males and females have a metallic green colour and when resting its wings are usually half opened.

Lestes dryas is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. Its common names include emerald spreadwing, scarce emerald damselfly and robust spreadwing. An alternate name in Ireland is the turlough spreadwing.

Chalcolestes viridis, formerly Lestes viridis, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly, the green emerald damselfly, or the western willow spreadwing. It has an elongated abdomen and pale brown spots on its wings and resides in areas of still water with overhanging trees.

Onychogomphus forcipatus, the small pincertail or green-eyed hook-tailed dragonfly, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the family Gomphidae.

Austrolestes colensonis, commonly known as the blue damselfly, is a species of damselfly of the family Lestidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can commonly be found throughout the country, and at any time of the year. It is New Zealand's largest damselfly, and only blue odonate.

Lestes congener is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known by the common name spotted spreadwing.

Lestes viridulusemerald-striped spreadwing, is a damselfly species in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is native to Bangladesh, India, and Thailand.

Lestes elatus is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known commonly as the emerald spreadwing. It is native to India, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

References

Askew, R.R. (2004) The Dragonflies of Europe. (revised ed.) Harley Books. p215. ISBN 0-946589-75-5
Boudot JP., et al. (2009) Atlas of the Odonata of the Mediterranean and North Africa. Libellula Supplement 9:1–256.
Dijkstra, K-D.B & Lewington, R. (2006) Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-4-8

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[IUCN-1] 1 2 3 Kalkman, V.J. (2014). "Lestes parvidens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T165493A19165141. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-1.RLTS.T165493A19165141.en . Retrieved 4 January 2023.

[2] Dennis Paulson; Martin Schorr; Cyrille Deliry. "World Odonata List". University of Puget Sound . Retrieved 15 Feb 2022.

[DPIX-3] "Checklist, English common names". DragonflyPix.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

[4] Sparrow, David J; Sparrow, Rosalyn & De Knijf, Geert (2016). Sparrow, David J. & John, Eddie (eds.). An Introduction to the Wildlife of Cyprus. Terra Cypria. ISBN 978-9963-601-45-5.

[5] Smallshire, Dave & Swash, Andy (2020). Europe's Dragonflies. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-16895-1.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]