Речна зеленка (Somatochlora meridionalis)
• English name: Balkan Emerald
• German name: Balkan-Smaragdlibelle
• French name: Cordulie méridionale
• Dutch name: Zuidelijke glanslibel
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: Smeralda meridionale
• Czech name: lesklice jižní
• Slovenian name: Sredozemski lesketnik
• Bulgarian name: Речна зеленка
Речна зеленка (Somatochlora meridionalis)
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | ➤ a fairly large, metallic-green species which occurs only in the south-east | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Corduliidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Somatochlora meridionalis Nielsen, 1935 | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • shaded rivers and streams which, in summer, may be reduced to a trickle-connected chain of pools | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 50-55 mm; hindwing: 34-38 mm | |
| Notes | • very similar to Somatochlora metallica but the two species rarely co-occur | |
| • cordulids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are green (brown in immature animals) |
| Thorax | ➤ the thorax is metallic green with bronze-brown reflections and with a yellow spot on the side | |
| Abdomen | • the abdomen is fairly uniformly metallic green | |
| • the abdomen is not very club-shaped | ||
| Wings | ➤ the wings do not have orange patches at the base | |
| Female | Abdomen | ➤ the abdomen bears a long vulvar scale |
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany |
LineDrawing: the male's abdomen in dorsal view, and the female's head, thorax and abdomen in lateral view.
