Coenagrion mercuriale

Coenagrion mercuriale
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Family:	Coenagrionidae
Genus:	Coenagrion
Species:	C. mercuriale
Binomial name
Coenagrion mercuriale (Charpentier, 1840)

Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) is a species of damselfly in family Coenagrionidae. It is found in Algeria, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom. Its natural habitats are rivers and freshwater springs. It is threatened by habitat loss.

The specific part of the scientific name, mercuriale, is because of the distinctive markings on the second segment of the abdomen that resembles the astrological symbol for the planet Mercury - ☿. ^[1]

Habitat

They require areas of open vegetation, mixed with slow flowing water in which to lay their eggs.

The larvae spend 2 years underwater before emerging as damselflies.

Status in the United Kingdom

It is thought that 25% of the worlds population exists within the United Kingdom but it has declined by 30% since 1960 due to changes in grazing, land drainage and water abstraction.

Example places where they are found include the New Forest. In 2009, 500 adults were captured and released in the Venn Ottery nature reserve in Devon. This nature reserve is owned and managed by the Devon Wildlife Trust and grazing has been re-introduced at there to help encourage this species which had not been recorded there since 1988.^[2]

The species is protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.^[3]

C. mercuriale

Source

• Boudot, J.-P. 2005. Coenagrion mercuriale. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 9 August 2007.

1. ^ Costantino D’Antonio and Francesca Vegliante. "Derivatio nominis libellularum europæarum" (in Italian). http://www.isoladivivara.it/odo/Derivatio_nominis.pdf. Retrieved 3 August 2010. 
2. ^ "Southern damselflies released into Devon nature reserve". wildlifeextra.com. http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/devon-dragonflies009.html#cr. Retrieved 3 August 2010. 
3. ^ "Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981". Government of the United Kingdom. http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1981/cukpga_19810069_en_27#v00187-sch8. Retrieved 15 October 2010. 

External links

• Southern Damselfly British Dragonfly Society Website