Stats

Lifespan: 1-2 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Insectivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Freshwater wetland
Range: Eurasia
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

A slender damselfly found across Europe and western Asia, named for the males' distinctively flattened, feathery white hind tibiae that flutter in courtship displays. Adults hunt small insects along slow-moving rivers and streams, often perching on emergent vegetation.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Platycnemididae
Genus: Platycnemis
Species: Platycnemis pennipes