Mrtvični spreletavec (Leucorrhinia caudalis)

• English name: Lilypad Whiteface
• German name: Zierliche Moosjungfer
• French name: Leucorrhine à large queue
• Dutch name: Sierlijke witsnuitlibel
• Swedish name: Bred kärrtrollslända
• Norwegian name: Vannlilje-torvlibelle
• Finnish name: Lummelampikorento
• Danish name: Åkande kærguldsmed
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: vážka široká
• Slovenian name: Mrtvični spreletavec
• Bulgarian name: N/A

Mrtvični spreletavec (Leucorrhinia caudalis)

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 medium-sized species of (central and) north-eastern Europe
Classification		• suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Libellulidae
Conservation status		• IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern
Scientific name		• Leucorrhinia caudalis (Charpentier, 1840)
Distribution		• click or tap the Map button above
Habitat		• bogs, ponds and lakes
Dimensions		• typical body length: 33-37 mm; hindwing: 29-32 mm
Notes		• libellulids are 'sitters': males spend a lot of time perched - in this case - on floating leaves, waiting for females
		• often sits on lilypads and similar large floating leaves
Both sexes	Head	➤ the face is white
		• the eyes are grey-brown
	Abdomen	➤ the appendages are white
		➤ the abdomen is clearly club-shaped
	Wings	• the hindwing bears a small dark patch at the base
		➤ the pterostigma is usually white
Male	Thorax	• the thorax is dark brown (in immature males: black with a yellow antehumeral stripe and yellow spots on the side)
	Abdomen	• the abdomen is black with a whitish pruinescence on S3-S5 (in immature males: black with yellow spots on S3-S5)
Female	Thorax	• the thorax is dark with a yellow antehumeral stripe and yellow spots on the side
	Abdomen	• the abdomen is black with yellow spots, mainly on S3-S5
Photographs		• all of our photos below were made in Bavaria and Finland

LineDrawing: the male's abdomen in dorsal view.

L. albifrons (top) and L. caudalis (bottom); pterostigma
In albifrons the pterostigma is black on top and underneath.
In caudalis it is white on top but often looks dark underneath.

Leucorrhinia albifrons (1, 2) and L. caudalis (3, 4); abdomen
In L. caudalis both the male (3) and female (4) abdomen are clearly club-shaped.
In L. albifrons the male (1) and female (2) abdomen are only slightly club-shaped.

Lilypad Whiteface (Leucorrhinia caudalis)
Male abdomen in dorsal view
Drawing by Ruth Ilka Nüß
© 2013 Lehmann & Nüß and DragonflyPix.com