Banded Demoiselle
Calopteryx splendens
Males use their dark wing patches like flags to signal territory and perform a fluttering courtship dance for females.
- Scientific name
- Calopteryx splendens
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Calopterygidae › Calopteryx
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Slow-flowing rivers, canals, and streams with abundant bankside vegetation and muddy bottoms.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; adults hunt small flying insects like midges, while larvae (nymphs) eat aquatic invertebrates.
- Range
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Size
- Wingspan of 60-70mm; body length of 45-50mm.
- Lifespan
- 1-2 years (mostly as larvae); adults live only 2-4 weeks.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Water pollution, dredging, and the removal of riverside reeds and grasses.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans. These delicate insects are best observed from the bank of a river. Avoid trying to catch them, as their wings are easily damaged. If one lands on you, remain still and enjoy the moment until it flies off.
The banded demoiselle ( Calopteryx splendens ) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers. It is a Eurasian species occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and northwestern China.
Photo: Lip Kee Yap, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/7a1ce4e5-8476-47e9-953b-99dc3fde3a3b.md