White-legged Damselfly
Encyclopedia
The White-legged Damselfly or Blue Featherleg, Platycnemis pennipes, is a damselfly
of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range.
, broad pale brown double antehumeral stripes, wider head and a pale brown pterostigmata.
The male has a blue abdomen that is often pale and usually has a greenish thorax
. The female is a very pale yellow-green colour with black markings.
e seem well able to tolerate brackish water. It also occurs in muddy streams but is rare in lakes or ponds of any sort. In north-west Europe, it is mostly confined to flowing waters.
Mating is preceded by the male displaying his white legs in a fluttering display flight in front of females. Elongated eggs are laid whilst in tandem, into emergent stems and especially the underside of floating leaves. The larvae live amongst bottom debris and emerge after two years.
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range.
Morphology
P. pennipes is about 32 millimetres (1.3 in) long. Mature adults differ from most other blue damselflies in having expanded white edges to the tibiae, paired black markings down most of the abdomenAbdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
, broad pale brown double antehumeral stripes, wider head and a pale brown pterostigmata.
The male has a blue abdomen that is often pale and usually has a greenish thorax
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
. The female is a very pale yellow-green colour with black markings.
Breeding
This species favours unshaded slow-flowing sections of muddy rivers with abundant floating vegetation. it has been recorded in tidal rivers and the larvaLarva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...
e seem well able to tolerate brackish water. It also occurs in muddy streams but is rare in lakes or ponds of any sort. In north-west Europe, it is mostly confined to flowing waters.
Mating is preceded by the male displaying his white legs in a fluttering display flight in front of females. Elongated eggs are laid whilst in tandem, into emergent stems and especially the underside of floating leaves. The larvae live amongst bottom debris and emerge after two years.