Species account

Eurasian Baskettail (Epitheca bimaculata)    (Charpentier, 1825)
   Emeralds (Corduliidae) [Dragonflies]    EUBA    24817
Toplettet Falkelibel (dk)   Tvåfläckad Trollslända (se)  
Synonyms (common):
Two-spotted Dragonfly (gb)
Synonyms (scientific):
Libellula fuchsiana Eversmann, 1836
Epitheca bimaculata sibirica Selys, 1887
Epitheca bimaculata altaica Belyshev, 1951
Measurements:
To 55-65mm Ab 37-43mm Hw 36-44mm
Generations:
Identification:
Similar species:
Life stages:
After mating the female finds a spot along the shore, where she presses out a large amount of eggs held together as a string by a jelly-like substance. She then flies low and dips the egg-string into the water. The substance swells and the up to 30-40 cm and 5 mm thick string now attaches to the underwater vegetation, where the eggs hatch after a few weeks. The larvae live in-between water plants (hibernating in the bottom mud) and develop during 3 years. Remarkably the mature larva can move up to a hundred meters and several meters up into trees and bushes before finding a the right spot to do the imago-transformation. Mass-emergence within a few days occur.
Distribution: (?):Altitude is often taken from a specific localized resource, why the true entire range very likely is wider.
WC and NE Europe around the Baltic Sea; absent Denmark. Also present locally in southern Norway and E Europe south to the Balkans. Also present Ukraine and Russia patchily across Siberia to China and Japan. Extinct in Denmark where used to be found mainly in NE Sjælland.
Habitat:
Behavior:
Endemic:
Status:
Last seen in Denmark in 1938 where forest lakes north of Copenhagen, Sjælland, was the only area from where the species was reported. Increasing populations in neighboring countries, Sweden and C Europe, spark a hope that the species might show up again in Denmark.

The first record of the species in Denmark is from 1894, Store Hulsø, bwt Furesøen and Bagsværd Sø, where 2 larvae were recorded. Later there were records from 1897, 1900+09+10+35+38. Of these records most were of eggs or larvae, except for 2 that were of imagines: Geel Skov 1900-06-05 (https://www.naturbasen.dk/observation/1359982/toplettet-falkelibel) and Store Hulsø 1935-05-26 (https://www.naturbasen.dk/observation/1360011/toplettet-falkelibel)
Comment:
Eurasian Baskettail 1572    (7 photos)
2023-06-07    Valdemarsvik (Östergötland), Sweden

Imago Female
A great lifer.
Hoped for it but early in the season and often flying over water were the conditions I had focused on, and therefore gave it little hope. And then it came to us, patrolling for food along a short stretch of forest road with no water nearby. Erratic movements and getting too close constantly made it difficult to catch it with the camera.