Treeline Emerald (Somatochlora sahlbergi)
• English name: Treeline Emerald
• German name: Polar-Smaragdlibelle
• French name: N/A
• Dutch name: Toendraglanslibel
• Swedish name: Tundratrollslända
• Norwegian name: Nordlig metalløyenstikker
• Finnish name: Tundrakiiltokorento
• Danish name: Tundra-smaragdlibel
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: N/A
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Treeline Emerald
(Somatochlora sahlbergi)
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 very dark, metallic-green species of the far north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Corduliidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Data Deficient | |
| Scientific name | • Somatochlora sahlbergi Trybom, 1889 | |
| Name genus | • Somatochlora: from Grk. σῶμα (stem: σωματ-) = body +; χλωρός = green | |
| Name species | • sahlbergi: after Johan Reinhold Sahlberg (1845-1920), Finnish entomologist | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • deep bog pools and lakes on the tundra | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 48-50 mm; hindwing: 30-33 mm | |
| Notes | ➤ smaller and noticeably darker than Somatochlora metallica | |
| • very similar to S. alpestris with which it co-occurs | ||
| • cordulids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| • seems to be active only in sunny weather | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are green (brown in immature animals) |
| Abdomen | • S3 bears a narrow white ring on either end; the lower ring may be (partly) obscured | |
| • S4-S10 are uniformly black (or very dark green) | ||
| Wings | ➤ there is a single cubito-anal crossvein in the forewing (as opposed to the, unusual, two crossveins in S. alpestris) | |
| • the pterostigma is relatively light-coloured | ||
| Male | Abdomen | ➤ the upper appendages are single-angled |
| Female | Abdomen | • there are no yellow spots on the abdomen |
| • compared to S. arctica the abdomen is short and thickset | ||
| ➤ the vulvar scale is elongate and tapered in shape | ||
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made in northern Finland |
