R. baetica
         M. religiosa
         M. florea
         Tephritid fly
         X. violacea
         Bombus sp.
         C. virgo
         P. pennipes
         O. brunneum
         T. plebejus

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Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site were taken in Pelion, Greece, shown on the map below.

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View images of the Common Toad, an ugly, bulky, but really sweet creature with an interesting... nightlife.

  Veggie of the Month

Learn about the Salsify, a beautiful plant, with edible and medicinal properties, that is currently blooming in Pelion.

  Cool Destination

Visit Mourtias, one of Pelion's most picturesque beaches on the Aegean coast.

  Exciting Site

Tour the Volos Archaeological Museum, a pretty century-old building, whose exhibits span a historical period of over 10 millennia!

  Month's Wallpaper

Download a fantastic picture of a rickety jetty in Lefokastron, Pelion, taken by Huw Jones.

Loading image. Please wait C. virgo, Male w. Open Wings :: 2003/06/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos C. virgo, Male w. Open Wings :: 2003/06/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos C. virgo, Male :: 2003/06/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos C. virgo, Female :: 2003/06/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos C. virgo, Female :: 2003/06/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos C. virgo, Male Close-up :: 2002/09/21 :: Horton Stream :: © A.Papadopoulos

Beautiful Demoiselle

Calopteryx virgo

This beautiful damselfly, whose abdomen is between 33 and 38 mm (approx. 1  1/3 - 1  1/2 in) in length, is more frequent around small streams of moderate flow, often acidic in character, with abundant marginal vegetation and shallow sandy and gravelly beds.

Males (photos no. 1, 2 and 5) are bluish-green, with wings that are wholly blue-green; they hold territories along riverbanks, aggressively defending their perches on trees or riverside plants.

Females (photos no. 3 and 4) sport a metallic brownish color. Their wings are golden-bronze and bear a distinctive white  pseudo-pterostigma.

Females tend to be sedentary, remaining in the vicinity of the stream they emerged from, but males wander more widely. The Beautiful Demoiselle is quite widespread throughout most of Europe - except for the drier parts of Spain and Northern Scandinavia - western Asia and northwest Africa.

According to most sources, adults fly from May to the beginning of September in Central and Southern Europe and from June to early August in Northern Europe. However, in the Pelion region flight period extends from mid April to early October.

It is noteworthy that the Genus name, Calopteryx, is derived from the Greek words "calos", meaning good or beautiful, and "pteryx", meaning wing. So, I guess, this is a beautifully winged Genus...


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Fact Sheet

Food
Small insects.

Flight Period
Mid April - mid October in Pelion; May - September in C. Europe; June - early August in N. Europe.

Habitat
Moderately flowing, often acidic streams, with plush marginal vegetation and sandy/gravelly beds.

Distribution
Most of Europe - except for the drier parts of Spain and N. Scandinavia - western Asia and northwest Africa.


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Taxonomy


Superkingdom: Eukaryota; Kingdom: Metazoa; Phylum: Arthropoda; Subphylum: Chelicerata; Superclass: Hexapoda; Class: Insecta; Subclass: Palaeoptera; Order: Odonata; Suborder: Zygoptera; Superfamily: Calopterygoidea; Family: Calopterygidae; Genus: Calopteryx; Species: virgo.

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Acknowledgments


I would like to thank P. Vigneron from France, for helping me identify the female of this species.

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