Emerald damselfly Lestes sponsa

Features

L. sponsa is a typical member of the genus with a green metallic body and wings held away from the body at rest. The abdomen is 26-33mm long and the wings are 19-23mm long. Mature males have a powder blue colour on the prothorax and on segments 1–2 and 9–10 of the abdomen. Mature males have blue eyes.

Species	Insect
Living space	Lake, Pond, Swamp
Size	40-50 mm

Description

Females lacks the blue colour. Immature males also lack the blue pruinescence and have greeny brown eyes. The pterostigmata of immature males are almost white. The larvae have rounded tail growths with dark transverse stripes. They occur in standing water areas, especially in swamps and ponds. Almost everywhere a fairly common species. When laying eggs, the pair are lowered into the water together about half a meter deep. The female lays eggs in rows in the stem of the plant. The specimens are covered with a thin layer of air during this time, which allows them to breathe in the water. They do not rise above the water level until half an hour or later.