Banded Demoiselle
Banded Demoiselle
Calopteryx splendens
Insecta
COMMON

Stats

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

About

The Banded Demoiselle is a striking damselfly of slow-flowing European rivers, where males flutter their iridescent blue-green wings — each bearing a bold dark band — in elaborate courtship dances to attract females.

Life cycle

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

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Odonata
Family
Calopterygidae
Genus
Calopteryx
Species
Calopteryx splendens