Calopteryx splendens, Banded Demoiselle

Common Name: Banded Demoiselle

The male Banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) has a brilliant metallic blue body; the wings are less abruptly narrowed than other damselflies and also differ from them in being coloured. Females have greenish-yellow tinged wings, but the male has a dark blueish-black area of colouration on both fore and hind wings.

Males are usually territorial, but large numbers can sometimes be found in lush bankside plants and on floating objects. They court females by opening their wings and performing an aerial dance. They are usually found among mature, slow-flowing streams and rivers and sometimes canals.

The females lay eggs on a wide variety of emergent or floating plants, sometimes even submerging to do so. The eggs hatch after 14 days, the emerging larvae having very long legs and appearing very stick-shaped. They overwinter buried in mud; when they are ready to moult into an adult, they climb up a suitable reed or plant and shed their skin.

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