Common Spreadwing
(Lestes sponsa)

The Common Spreadwing is a fairly large but slender, metallic-green damselfly. When at rest, it holds its wings apart, typically at a 45-degree angle, a behaviour it shares with all other Lestes species. It's a very common species throughout much of Northern and Central Europe, but is virtually absent from the Mediterranean. Unlike its look-alike Lestes dryas, Lestes sponsa prefers permanent water bodies, which may help explain its relative abundance in the North and rarity in the more arid regions of the South. Apart from its slender abdomen, its distinctive features include an all-dark pterostigma and, in the male, the extensive pruinescence on S1, S2, S9 and S10, and his straight lower appendages.

For an overview of the Common Spreadwing's distribution in Europe, hover your mouse pointer over the map symbol .
With the authors' permission we have based this map on data published in Kalkman et al. (2010).
Legend: Red = Occurs, White = Doesn't occur; Purple = Extinct; Yellow = Vagrant.

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