Chalcolestes viridis📸(damselfie)

Chalcolestes viridis, formerly Lestes viridis, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly, the green emerald damselfly, or the western willow spreadwing. It has an elongated abdomen and pale brown spots on its wings and resides in areas of still water with overhanging trees. The genus Chalcolestes is separated from Lestes because of differences in their larvae. A closely related species C. parvidens used to be considered a sub-species of C. viridis. C. parvidens occurs in Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia and in Italy; near Rome it flies with C. viridis in the same ponds. There are small morphological differences between the two species both as adults and larvae and analysis of proteins from the two species, by electrophoresis, also supports their separation into two species, but they are hard to tell apart in the field. C. parvidens flies earlier in the year than C. viridis. Male – The abdomen is very long. The lower anal appendages are less than half the length of the upper which are a distinctive pale yellow with black tips. Female – The ovipositor is longer than in Lestes dryas. #mobilephotography #sharewithpindle #pindleindia #guidebook