Small Spreadwing (Lestes virens)
• English name: Small Spreadwing
• German name: Kleine Binsenjungfer
• French name: Leste verdoyant
• Dutch name: Tengere pantserjuffer
• Swedish name: Mindre smaragdflickslända
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: Hentokeijukorento
• Danish name: Lille kobbervandnymfe
• Italian name: Verdina minore
• Czech name: šídlatka zelená
• Slovenian name: Loška zverca
• Bulgarian name: Малко кротиче
Small Spreadwing
(Lestes virens)
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 small and slender, metallic green or brown species of central and southern Europe | |
| Classification | • suborder: Zygoptera (damselflies); family: Lestidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Lestes virens (Charpentier, 1825) | |
| Name genus | • Lestes: from Grk. λῃστής = robber, thief | |
| Name species | • virens: from Lat. virere, pres. part. virens = (being) green | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • shallow still waters, wetlands and bogs | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 30-39 mm; hindwing: 19-23 mm | |
| Notes | • like all other (Chalco)lestes species, often spreads its wings at a 45° angle when at rest | |
| • (Chalco)lestes species overwinter as eggs (in diapause) rather than as larvae or adults | ||
| Both sexes | Thorax | • the upper part of the thorax is metallic green or brown; the lower part is beige/yellow |
| • the antehumeral stripe is pale and usually narrow | ||
| Abdomen | • the upper part of the abdomen is metallic green or brown; the lower part is beige/yellow | |
| Wings | ➤ the pterostigma is dark reddish brown with a fine white line laterally | |
| Legs | • the legs are pale with a black longitudinal stripe | |
| Male | Thorax | • pruinescence is limited to the wing base and the lower part of the thorax |
| Abdomen | • pruinescence on the abdomen is limited to (S8, ) S9 and S10 | |
| Photographs | • most of our photos below were made in Tuscany and show the subspecies C. v. vestalis | |
| • the photos we made in Spain show the subspecies C. v. virens |
