Aeschne paisible (Boyeria irene)
• English name: Western Spectre
• German name: Westliche Geisterlibelle
• French name: Aeschne paisible
• Dutch name: Schemerlibel
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: Dragone spettro
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: Večerna senca
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Aeschne paisible (Boyeria irene)
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | • a very large species which occurs mainly in south-western Europe | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Aeshnidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Boyeria irene (Fonscolombe, 1838) | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Notes | • males zigzag low over the water, meticulously checking every nook and cranny in the river bank for ovipositing females | |
| • females may enter holes or gaps in the river bank to spend upwards of an hour ovipositing in the roots of plants and trees | ||
| • aeshnids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| • because of their perfectly camouflaged colouration of brown, green and beige, animals at rest may be difficult to spot | ||
| • when they do rest, they hang up on large, shady, vertical surfaces (e.g. tree trunks and rocks) which match their colouration, or on twigs and branches with overhanging leaves; in either case direct sunlight is carefully avoided | ||
| Habitat | • streams and rivers with plants and trees whose roots are directly over the water, but also at large lakes and reservoirs | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 63-71 mm; hindwing: 39-45 mm | |
| Both sexes | Head | • in mature animals the eyes are green; in immature animals they are brown |
| Thorax | ➤ the colouration on the thorax is a mix of mottled browns and greens | |
| Abdomen | ➤ the colouration on the abdomen is a mix of mottled browns and greens | |
| • the abdomen is heavily waisted on S3 | ||
| Wings | • mature animals may have dark patches on the wing tips | |
| Male | Abdomen | • S9 and S10 are unmarked green (in mature males) or beige-brown (in immature males) |
| Female | Abdomen | • the female's appendages may be long (in the form typica) or short (in the form brachycerca) |
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made in Italy and Spain |
