Libellula quadrimaculata, known in Europe as the four-spotted chaser and in North America as the four-spotted skimmer, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae found widely throughout Europe, Asia, and North America.
The adult stage is found between April to early September in the United Kingdom, and from mid-May to mid-August in Ireland. Larvae have a two-year developmental cycle. Adults feed predominantly on mosquitoes, gnats, and midges;[1] the larvae feed primarily on other aquatic insect larvae and on tadpoles.
There is a variant form, praenubila Newman, which has exaggerated wing spots. This is believed to be related to water temperatures during larval development, and appears to be more common in Europe than in the Americas.
This active dragonfly mainly lives by ponds, vernal pools, and slow flowing rivers; they are most common in June and July.
Identification
The brown colour and the four spots on the wings make them unmistakable.
Behaviour
Four-spotted chaser on its perch
The male is considered to be highly aggressive and will defend a given territory from incursions from other males of the species. The male is known to form preferences for prominent perches and will often return to the same perches around the margins of pools and ponds whilst it patrols for intruders. Males have a favourable view of the sky during perching. They look toward a section of the sky away from the sun, with less radiation but a higher UV and blue-violet saturation. Thus, the fovea of the eyes, which is sensitive to blue and UV radiation, is optimally suited to the detection of flying insects against the blue sky.[3] Both sexes are prolific fliers, and mating takes place in the air, rather than on perches or amongst the vegetation. The female lays her eggs on floating vegetation. They tend to be easier to approach than Broad-bodied Chasers.
^. sled.alaska.edu. 17 January 2006. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
^Sauseng, Manuela; Pabst, Maria-Anna; Kral, Karl (2003). "The dragonfly Libellula quadrimaculata (Odonata: Libellulidae) makes optimal use of the dorsal fovea of the compound eyes during perching" (PDF). European Journal of Entomology (published 20 November 2003). 100 (4): 475–479. doi:10.14411/eje.2003.071. ISSN 1210-5759.
^. Norfolk Dragons. Archived from the original on 27 May 2009. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
^. 23 January 2009. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
Biolib.cz Libellula quadimaculata photos Biolib.cz taxonomical synonyms and photos
Photo
Photo of L. q. praenubila
at AzOdes
Libellula quadrimaculata at funet.fi
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libellula quadrimaculata.
Data related to Libellula quadrimaculata at Wikispecies
March 24, 2023
four, spotted, chaser, libellula, quadrimaculata, known, europe, four, spotted, chaser, north, america, four, spotted, skimmer, dragonfly, family, libellulidae, found, widely, throughout, europe, asia, north, america, malefarmoor, reservoir, oxfordshirefemale,. Libellula quadrimaculata known in Europe as the four spotted chaser and in North America as the four spotted skimmer is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae found widely throughout Europe Asia and North America Four spotted chaserMaleFarmoor Reservoir OxfordshireFemale Kampinos Forest PolandScientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ArthropodaClass InsectaOrder OdonataInfraorder AnisopteraFamily LibellulidaeGenus LibellulaSpecies L quadrimaculataBinomial nameLibellula quadrimaculataLinnaeus 1758The adult stage is found between April to early September in the United Kingdom and from mid May to mid August in Ireland Larvae have a two year developmental cycle Adults feed predominantly on mosquitoes gnats and midges 1 the larvae feed primarily on other aquatic insect larvae and on tadpoles There is a variant form praenubila Newman which has exaggerated wing spots This is believed to be related to water temperatures during larval development and appears to be more common in Europe than in the Americas The four spotted skimmer is the state insect of Alaska 2 Contents 1 Habitat 2 Identification 3 Behaviour 4 Predators 5 Gallery 6 References 7 External linksHabitat EditThis active dragonfly mainly lives by ponds vernal pools and slow flowing rivers they are most common in June and July Identification EditThe brown colour and the four spots on the wings make them unmistakable Behaviour Edit Four spotted chaser on its perch The male is considered to be highly aggressive and will defend a given territory from incursions from other males of the species The male is known to form preferences for prominent perches and will often return to the same perches around the margins of pools and ponds whilst it patrols for intruders Males have a favourable view of the sky during perching They look toward a section of the sky away from the sun with less radiation but a higher UV and blue violet saturation Thus the fovea of the eyes which is sensitive to blue and UV radiation is optimally suited to the detection of flying insects against the blue sky 3 Both sexes are prolific fliers and mating takes place in the air rather than on perches or amongst the vegetation The female lays her eggs on floating vegetation They tend to be easier to approach than Broad bodied Chasers Predators EditThe larger emperor dragonfly Anax imperator is a predator of this species 4 Another is the green tiger beetle Cicindela campestris 5 Gallery Edit female female variant praenubila In flight Copulation source source source source source source source source source source Hunting and returning to a favoured perch at a pondReferences Edit http www shgresources com ak symbols insect Archived 2009 01 07 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 Feb 2010 FAQ ALASKA Frequently Asked Questions About Alaska sled alaska edu 17 January 2006 Archived from the original on 10 February 2010 Retrieved 28 January 2010 Sauseng Manuela Pabst Maria Anna Kral Karl 2003 The dragonfly Libellula quadrimaculata Odonata Libellulidae makes optimal use of the dorsal fovea of the compound eyes during perching PDF European Journal of Entomology published 20 November 2003 100 4 475 479 doi 10 14411 eje 2003 071 ISSN 1210 5759 Emperor Dragonfly Norfolk Dragons Archived from the original on 27 May 2009 Retrieved 16 February 2010 An Unexpected Predator of the Four Spot Chaser Dragonfly 23 January 2009 Archived from the original on 17 November 2017 Retrieved 15 February 2010 Libellula quadrimaculata Integrated Taxonomic Information System Retrieved 9 February 2006 External links EditUSA Distribution Data Four spotted chaser British Dragonfly Society Fauna Europaea taxonomy and mapping Biolib cz Libellula quadimaculata photos Biolib cz taxonomical synonyms and photos Photo Photo of L q praenubila Libellula quadrimaculata at AzOdes Libellula quadrimaculata at funet fi Libellula quadrimaculata profile and photos Wikimedia Commons has media related to Libellula quadrimaculata Data related to Libellula quadrimaculata at Wikispecies Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Four spotted chaser amp oldid 1134694491, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
