Splendid Cruiser (Macromia splendens)
• English name: Splendid Cruiser
• German name: Europäischer Flussherrscher
• French name: Cordulie splendide
• Dutch name: Prachtlibel
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: N/A
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: N/A
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Splendid Cruiser (Macromia splendens)
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 very large, green-black-and-yellow species which occurs only in the south of France and in Iberia | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Macromiidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Vulnerable, Endemic | |
| Scientific name | • Macromia splendens (Pictet, 1843) | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • deep sections of rivers, but also large, river-fed reservoirs | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 70-75 mm; hindwing: 42-49 mm | |
| Notes | • animals in flight could be mistaken for a Cordulegaster species | |
| • males fly fast, straight and low over the water, searching the river banks for ovipositing females | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are green |
| • the frons is yellow with two circular black markings on top | ||
| Thorax | ➤ the thorax is metallic green with two wide yellow bands | |
| Abdomen | ➤ the abdomen is black with yellow spots; S7 in particular bears a large yellow spot | |
| Legs | • the all-black legs are remarkably long | |
| Male | Abdomen | • the abdomen is club-shaped, being at its widest at S8-S9 |
| Photographs | • all of our photos below were made in Andalusia and Extremadura |
LineDrawing: the male's wings and abdomen in dorsal view.
