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Pterygota Winged Insects pterygota Potamanthus luteus has yellowish unspotted Winged Insects wings, and abdomen barely mar·ked. Local. MA YFLIES (JI/IJ()I)!! dijJ!crlllJl ORDER EPHEMEROPTERA A small species, 1000ISmm long, but dis• tinctive in having only 2 wings and 2 tails. A small and distinctive group, with an un• The female> have yellowish f,'ont mar'gins. usual life-cycle. Unique among insects, they Known to fisher'men as 'pond olives'. have 2 adult phases, moulting again after they Habitat Still and slow-flowing waters. attain the winged state. A sub-adult emerges Status and distribution Common and from the aquatic nymph and takes flight, usu• widespread thl'Oughout. ally hiding among vegetation; this phase is Season 5-10. dull-coloured, with opaque wings, and is known to anglers as the 'dun'. Within hours L/JiJel/lerei/a i,~lli/a the dun moults into the sexually mature A medium-sized species, about 20mm long, adult, which has brighter colours, translu• with a reddish-brown body, reddish-tinged cent wings, and longer tails - the 'spinner'. wings, and 3 tails. The hindwings are small Mayflies are recognizable by the wings, but clearly visible. which are held vertically Habitat Around fast-flowing, well-oxy• above the body, always genated, well-vegetated streams. unfolded; the very shore Status and distribution Widespread antennae; and the 2 or 3 and locally frequent in suitable habitat. long tails. The nymphs Season 4-9. always have 3 tails, even if Similar species the adult has 2. Despite £. notata is yellowish-brown not red, with their name, the short-lived dark stripes and dots under the abdomen. adults may be found in most months of the year. Bae/is titsca{lIs There are about 50 There are several very similar &letis species; species in Britain, and 200 they tend to have clear forewings, and very nymph throughout Europe. small hindwings with only 2 or 3 main veins. They are 2-tailed. The body length (exclud• Green Drake or Common Mayfly ing tails) is about 10mm. Ephemera dallica Habitat Small, fast-moving streams. A large, beautiful species, up to 50mm long Status and distribution Widespread including the length of its 3 tails. The wings and frequent. are broadly triangular, with dark spots, and Season 5-10. there are numerous dark marks on the greyish-white abdomen. Siphlw/(J/'lIS hlCltstris Habitat Around unpolluted streams, grav• Body length of 12-15mm. Long tails and elly lakes and rivers. antennae. Body greenish-brown, 2-tailed. Status and distribution Frequent and Forewings long and narrow, clear; hind• widespread throughout. wings relatively large, with numerous veins. Season 4-1 I. There are several very similar species. Similar species Habitat In lakes and slower-flowing pares £. /ineata is similar, but with longitudinal of rivers and streams, especially hilly areas. stripes on some abdomen segments. Status and distribution Widespread £. vulgata has double triangles on most and locally common. abdominal segments; occurs in summer. Season 5-9. 42 EPHEMEROPTERA DRAGONFLIES AND The nymphs all live in water, and adults DAMSELFLIES therefore start their life close to water. ORDER ODONATA Damselflies tend to remain close to their breeding site throughout their life, while Distinctive long-bodied predatory insects, most dragonflies will travel considerable with very short antennae and 2 roughly distances. Some, such as the Scarce equal pairs of wings. They are separated Hawker, are wide-ranging migrants. For a into 2 sub-orders: Damselflies (Zygoptera) period after they emerge, both damselflies and Dragonflies (Anisoptera). Damselflies and dragonflies have a phase when their are generally smaller and more delicate, colours are not fully developed - the ten• with a weaker, more fluttery flight; when at eral phase. The wings have an oily appear• ance, which gradually disappears, and males often have the colouring of females. It is better to try to identify fully adult insects rather than teneral ones. The teneral phase may last from 2 days to 2 weeks, depend• ing on species and temperature. Damselflies Suborder Zygoptera typical Lestes sp. Demoiselle Agrion damselfly CalofJleryx l'irgo A beautiful insect, with strongly coloured wings, greenish-blue in the male and bronze in the female. The abdomen is about 35mm long, blue-green in the male and green or bronze in the female. Habitat Close to faster-flowing, acid to neutral, well-vegetated streams. Status and distribution Widespread and locally common; mainly western in Britain. dragonfly Season 5-B. rest, they hold their wings together above Banded Agrion the abdomen (see diagram), with the ex• CalofJleryx splendel1s ception of Lestes species, which look other• Resembles the Demoiselle Agrion in struc• wise similar, but normally hold their wings ture and size. The male has a blue abdo• at about 450 to the abdomen. Their eyes are men, and the wings have large rectangular widely spaced, on each side of the head. dark patches which are clearly visible even Dragonflies are large, robust, strong-fly• in flight. The female has a green to bronze ing insects, unlikely to be confused with any• body and greenish wings - similar to thing else, except possibly ascalaphids (see Demoiselle Agrion but greener overall. p.112) which are not widespread in this Habitat Almost always close to slow• area. At rest, they hold their wings out at flowing neutral to calcareous streams and right angles to the body (see diagram). With rivers, with plenty of sun and vegetation. the exception of the club-tailed dragonflies Status and distribution Locally com• (Gomphus and allies), the eyes are set very mon in S Britain, widespread in Europe. close together and are extremely large. Season 5-9, most abundant 6-7. 44 0 DON A T A * Sympecmd fuscd * L viridis has distinctive white claspers on An inconspicuous species, with a brown the male's abdomen; it is widespread on the and cream abdomen, 27-29mm long, Continent. which has a dark interrupted stripe down * L barbarus has distinctive bicoloured its upper surface, The pterostigmas (see pterostigmas. diagram) are at different positions, clearly * L virens is very similar to the Emerald noticeable when the wings are closed, Damselfly, and is best distinguished by the abdominal appendages ('claspers'), as in the illustration below. It is locally common on the Continent, though absent from many western areas. Scarce Emerald L dryas is very similar to position of the the Emerald, differing in the appendages pterosngma (see illustration), and the pterostigma, which is 2-2~ times as long as broad (d. 3 Habitat Around sheltE'~"d still water times in Emerald). The Scarce Emerald is bodies, especially near woodland. rar'e in SE England and W Ireland, but wide• Status and distribution Widespread spread in Europe. and moderately common on the Continent. Season Unusual among damselflies in that White-legged Damselfly the adults hibernate; on the wing 7-10, and I'hllyozemis l'el1lzipes 3-5, and occasionally on warm winter days. A medium to large species, with an ab• domen length of 27-31 mm. Abdomen, in Emerald Damselfly males, is pale blue with a black line across I.estes SpOIlSd all segments, broadening in the last 4. A dis• A rather robust damselfly, with an tinctive feature is the white legs with broad abdomen length of about 30mm, predomi• hind tibia. nantly emerald green, with blue at either Habitat Most frequent around slow• end of the abdomen; females usually lack moving, clean, well-vegetated streams, the blue colour. Species of Lestes generally though may also occur in still waters. hold their wings away from the body at Status and distribution Strongly south• about 45° at rest. ern and rather local in Britain; widespread Habitat Occurs around a wide range of ~nd frequent on the Continent. aquatic habitats, usually still, but also slow• Season 5-8. moving, and occasionally brackish. Similar species Status and distribution Common and * P. acutipennis is similar in structure and widespread virtually throughout the area. size, but the males are a distinctive non• Season 6-10. metallic orange, while the females are pale Similar species orange. Frequent around slow-moving Four rather similar species of Lestes occur waters from N France southwards. in the area. ~".,,~"_~l.,,,"",~." ..."., 46 0 DON A T A Large Red Damselfly dividing line is clearly visible within the blue l'yrrhosoma nymplJltla band). An uncommon species, strongly A medium-sized damselfly, with an abdo• south-western in Britain, and absent from men length of 25-29mm. Predominantly many parts of the Continent. red in colour, with black legs, black stripes on the thorax, and black markings towards Common Blue Damselfly the end of the 'tail'; females are more Enal/agma cyathigera robust, with more abdominal markings. A typical blue damselfly, differing from Habitat Around a wide variety of still Coenogrion species (see p.50) in having no and slow-moving water-bodies, including additional stripe on the thorax, and by the brackish ditches and acid bogs. distinctive 'stalked ball' mark on segment 2 Status and distribution Widespread of males. Females are duller greenish or and common throughout. brownish, with a conspicuous spine under Season 4-9; an early species. segment 8. Habitat Occurs around a very wide vari• Small Red Damselfly ety of wetlands, mainly still or slow-moving, Ceriagrion tcncl/um and including brackish and nutrient-poor Similar in general appearance to the Large waters. Red, but slightly smaller, and both sexes Status and distribution Common and have red legs. Males are almost entirely red, widespread throughout, including upland and females have the last few segments of and northern areas (where it may be con• the abdomen black above. Both have a fused with Northern Damselfly). weak, rather fluttering flight. Season 5-10.
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