Somatochlora metallica
• English name: Brilliant Emerald
• German name: Glänzende Smaragdlibelle
• French name: Cordulie métallique
• Dutch name: Metaalglanslibel
• Swedish name: Metalltrollslända
• Norwegian name: Vanlig metalløyenstikker
• Finnish name: Välkekorento
• Danish name: Glinsende smaragdlibel
• Italian name: Smeralda metallica
• Czech name: lesklice zelenavá
• Slovenian name: Kovinski lesketnik
• Bulgarian name: Планинска зеленка
Somatochlora metallica
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 in central, northern and eastern Europe; rare in the British Isles; absent from the south | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Corduliidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Somatochlora metallica (Vander Linden, 1825) | |
| Name genus | • Somatochlora: from Grk. σῶμα (stem: σωματ-) = body +; χλωρός = green | |
| Name species | • metallica: from Grk. μεταλλικός, -ή, -όν = of metal, metallic ⇒ for the extensive metallic reflections | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • ponds, lakes and slow-flowing rivers and streams | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 50-55 mm; hindwing: 37-44 mm | |
| Notes | • very similar to Somatochlora meridionalis 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 but without 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 | • all of our photos below were made in Finland |
