| Platycnemis acutipennis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Platycnemididae |
| Genus: | Platycnemis |
| Species: | P. acutipennis |
| Binomial name | |
| Platycnemis acutipennis Selys, 1841 | |
Platycnemis acutipennis, known as the orange featherleg or the orange white-legged damselfly, is a species of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae. [1] [2] [3]
Platycnemis acutipennis is the only European damselfly which combines an orange-red abdomen and blue eyes. [4] The male has moderately wide hind tibias (wider in both P. pennipes and P. latipes ; and the males of both those species have blue abdomens). [4] The thorax is buff-coloured with black stripes. There is an orange spot near the tip of each wing. The sexes are similar.
Platycnemis acutipennis lives in fresh water, either still or up to moderately fast-flowing. [5]
Platycnemis acutipennis is common and widely distributed across the southwest of Europe including Portugal, Spain, and France; it is endemic to that area. [5] There are however some recent records from Germany. [6]
Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies 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.
The black-tailed skimmer is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae.
The red-veined darter or nomad is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum.
The Irish damselfly or crescent bluet is a damselfly found in northern Europe and Asia to north-eastern China;. It is common and widespread in northern Finland, scarce and local in the Netherlands and Ireland and rare elsewhere. The Irish damselfly name comes from the fact that it is found in Ireland but not in Great Britain. The alternative name, crescent bluet, refers to the shape of the markings on segment two of the male and its scientific name.
Ischnura senegalensis, also known variously as common bluetail, marsh bluetail, ubiquitous bluetail, African bluetail, and Senegal golden dartlet, is a widespread damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It is native from Africa, through the Middle East, to southern and eastern Asia.
The scarlet dragonfly is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common names include broad scarlet, common scarlet-darter, and scarlet darter.
The Norfolk damselfly or dark bluet is a species of blue damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae native to Eurasia.
The white-legged damselfly or blue featherleg is a damselfly of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range.
Coenagrion mercuriale, the southern damselfly, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in Algeria, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater springs. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Ischnura is a genus of damselflies known as forktails in the family Coenagrionidae. Forktails are distributed worldwide, including various oceanic islands. The males have a forked projection at the tip of the abdomen which gives the group their common name.
Platycnemis is a genus of damselfly in the family Platycnemididae.
Pseudagrion newtoni, the harlequin sprite, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.
Trithemis annulata, known commonly as the violet dropwing, violet-marked darter, purple-blushed darter or plum-coloured dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in most of Africa, in the Middle East, in the Arabian Peninsula and southern Europe. These insects are called dropwings because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Males of this species are violet-red with red veins in the wings while females are yellow and brown. Both sexes have red eyes.
The blue riverdamsel, Pseudagrion microcephalum is a common species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is also known as the blue sprite and blue grass dart.
Eastern forktail is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae.
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 brown wing spots. It resides near pools with aquatic plants. 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.
Pseudagrion rubriceps, saffron-faced blue dart, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is found in many tropical Asian countries.
Coenagrion ornatum, or, the ornate bluet, is a species of damselfly from the family Coenagrionidae distributed across a large part of Europe and Western Asia.