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Species account
Migrant Spreadwing
(Lestes barbarus)
Fabricius (1798)
Spreadwings (Lestidae)
MISP
24778
Sydlig Kobbervandnymfe (dk)
Lestes Bárbaro (es)
Vandrande Smaragdflickslända (se)
Synonyms: Southern Emerald Damselfly (gb)
Measurements:
To 40-45mm
Ab 26-35mm
Hw 20-27mm
Flight period:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EU n | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EU s | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
Similar species:
Life stages:
Females, in tandem or solo, insert eggs into plant material above water. Eggs overwinter and larvae develop to images in few months (same season).
Distribution:
Most of Europe; almost absent British isles and Scandinavian peninsula. Also eastward through C Asia to China, included. In Denmark most observations have been from the eastern part, Langeland, Sjælland, with only a few observations from Jylland.
Habitat:
Behavior:
Status:
LC(global)
LC(eu) Denmark(NA). Rare in Denmark but increasing.
Host plants:
Various water plants including, at times, willows and other bushes along the shore.
Comment:
The species is spreading northward, now having reached Denmark the last two years (2022-23) in good numbers and apparently reproducing in several localities. Sep 2023 was hotter than usual, perhaps why the species was seen as late as Sep 23 at Knudshoved Odde, Sjælland, Denmark.
|
2985
(7 photos)
2024-08-02 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Egg-laying. My first pair on Amager in an unseeingly short ditch away from the main water hole , where I've found most animals so far. The ditch holds a wet and a dry end, and all the encounters I've had with the species here have been in the dry end. I'm not sure the egg-depositing attempt in photo 3 is for real or just a stress-reflex caused by my presence. Saying this because the straw looks mighty thin and less suited for the purpose. |
|
3002
(5 photos)
2024-08-03 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Egg-laying. |
|
2990
(4 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Mating wheel. 1 of 4 pairs today. |
|
2991
(2 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Egg-laying. 1 of 4 pairs today. |
|
2992
(4 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Egg-laying. 1 of 4 pairs today. |
|
2993
(1 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Tandem. 1 of 4 pairs today. |
|
2994
(2 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Mating wheel. 1 of 5 pairs today. I'm sure I had 4 pairs when walking through the ditch. But now I've got 5 sets of photos of pairs from there today, all named separately. So, either some of the photo sets show the same pair, which is difficult to confirm from the [slightly poor] photos, or I lost control on site. Either way, in the name of congruence, from now on I decide to exclaim that I've seen 5 pairs today! Don't you just love it when problem-solving is as easy as cookie-jar snatching from your best friend's stepmother's winter kitchen in the house along the beach..? |
|
2997
(5 photos)
2024-08-12 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-vandhullet. Tandem. First accessible pair at this spot. |
|
2999
(2 photos)
2024-08-17 Map Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Tandem. |
|
3036
(2 photos)
2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Mating wheel. |
|
3032
(2 photos)
2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Barbarus-renden. Tandem. |
|
1993
(2 photos)
2023-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Granathøj. Todays surprise, only being out looking for my lost bike lock, which I found in the exact same spot where this beauty was perched. In the sedges along the narrow channel. But in the strong NE wind unfortunately I lost it quickly after having taken these photos. It was sitting close to a female sponsa [Almindelig Kobbervandnymfe] and the size difference was striking, barbarus being much larger (seemed much larger even than the viridis [Grøn Kobbervandnymfe] that I've just seen in Jutland). Rare |
|
2905
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ At the first water hole after the western parking lot. I only had males except for a fly-away tandem pair. |
|
2906
(3 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ |
|
2907
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ |
|
2908
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ |
|
2913
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ 19 males seen today and only a single female in tandem. How far away are the females until they are ready to mate? |
|
2909
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus is a very pale animal compared to the two common species in Denmark, sponsa and dryas. And being larger too, it is easy to spot when it is flushed, but more difficult to detect when sitting in the vegetation. |
|
2910
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ When defecating the male sometimes spread out the upper appendages to clear the way. |
|
2911
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ |
|
2912
(1 photos)
2024-07-29 Knudshoved Odde (sydsjælland), Denmark Imago ♂ |
|
2928
(3 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2929
(2 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2915
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2927
(2 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2926
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2925
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2924
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2923
(2 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2920
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2919
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2918
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2917
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2916
(1 photos)
2024-07-30 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2946
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2945
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2936
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2937
(3 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2938
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2939
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2940
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. One would assume that this one is a younger individual based on the pale apple green color on the side of the thorax, but I've experienced that depending on the exposure when taking the photo the appearance of such an animal can easily look much darker if under-exposed why other markers, such as pruinosity, width of pale should line, are better suited for aging. |
|
2941
(2 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2942
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2944
(2 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2943
(1 photos)
2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2950
(1 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2951
(1 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2952
(4 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. On of the rare occasions where a Lestes individual is sitting directly on the ground. Actually, I don't think I've seen it before. It soon retreated to the vegetation, as the photos show. |
|
2957
(2 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |
|
2956
(2 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. |