Photos - Places - Animals - Plants - People - Mexico

Home	Butterflies	Dragonflies	Birds (media)	Flora & Fauna (media)	Observations	Species	Mexican Species
Download Checklists	Links	My 5 Chickens	Other Photos	The Birding Program	About	GPS	News

Species account

Dark Whiteface (Leucorrhinia albifrons) Burmeister (1839) Skimmers (Libellulidae) DAWH 24826

Østlig Kærguldsmed (dk) Pudrad Kärrtrollslända (se) Synonyms: Eastern White-faced Darter (gb)

Measurements:

To 33-39mm Ab 22-27mm Hw 23-31mm

Flight period:

Identification:

Eyes seem greener/brighter than Lilypad.

Similar species:

Life stages:

Mating lasts a few minutes and takes place in the vegetation near the water, or on the ground. The lone female then flies forth and back along the shore dropping the eggs into the water where plenty of water plants. The eggs hatch after a few weeks and the larvae live in-between plants in shallow water and develop during 3 years(strictly?). The imago-transformation takes place near the water.

Distribution:

C and NE Europe from France to Baltic states, Belarus, Ukraine and southern Fennoscandinavia. Also present locally through Russia to the Altai mountains. In Denmark extinct but former breeder in the 1960'ies in NE Sjælland.

Habitat:

Behavior:

Status:

LC(global) NT(eu) RE(dk). In Denmark localized breeder in the 1960'ies at Store Gribsø, Sjælland and perhaps also seen in same area in 1975, but after this not seen until discovered on Bornholm in 2018. Then absent in 2019 and 2020, to be re-found at the same site in 2021-23, Safirsøen, where up to 15 males have been spotted on the same day. Overspill from Sweden or arrived from across the Baltic Sea? In the past the species has probably been more widespread in the country, as well as rest of Europe, before the intensive landscape alterations destroyed its preferred habitats.

Natura 2000 species (bilag IV art).

Host plants:

Tørvemos (Sphagnum)

Comment:

	1622 (10 photos) 2023-06-08 Grundsjön (Skåne), Sweden Imago ♂♀ I id'ed this pair per default as a caudalis [Åkande-Kærguldsmed] because all the other leucorrhinia animals I saw were of that species. But looking closer, the restricted pruinose on the male abdomen and the rather slender tail, and the fact that it could look like the upperside of the wing marks is black combined with a female that also shows a slender abdomen tip and restricted yellow marks on the segments make it a better choice. The paler greener eye might also be a feature to look out for when separating the two. Mating and detaching with the female staying put after the show...
	519 (1 photos) 2021-07-06 Sorthat Skovområde (bornholm), Denmark Imago ♂ Safirsøen. Some 7, I think, were reported a good week ago, and I had to go. A new species after all, and being the only reliable place in Denmark to get it. Unmistakable when seen well. Rather confident when perching in the bushes alongside the western shore of the lake (only partly accessible). I estimated to have seen 3 males in all and no females.
	520 (2 photos) 2021-07-06 Sorthat Skovområde (bornholm), Denmark Imago ♂ Safirsøen. When seen well only possible to confuse with ultra-rare (in Denmark) Lilypad Whiteface. Dark has white mouth parts and the wing marks of Lilypad male, are white above and black below, whereas both sides are black on Dark.
	521 (3 photos) 2021-07-06 Sorthat Skovområde (bornholm), Denmark Imago ♂ Safirsøen. The white upper appendages is a character only shared with Lilypad Whiteface.
	522 (1 photos) 2021-07-06 Sorthat Skovområde (bornholm), Denmark Imago ♂ Safirsøen. Four different photo sets of males this day doesn't mean that I saw four individuals, but that I managed four different shooting sessions. Scrutiny will very likely reveal some of them the same.