Greek Red Damsel
(Pyrrhosoma elisabethae)

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The Greek Red Damsel is a very rare and highly localised species which replaces the much more common and widespread Large Red Damsel in parts of Albania and Greece and on Corfu. The two species are very similar indeed; the only structural differences being Pyrrhosoma elisabethae's longer lower appendages and shorter ventral hook in the male, and the shape of the female's pronotum. We managed to find and photograph Pyrrhosoma elisabethae during our recent field trip to Corfu, where we saw some two dozen individuals.

For an overview of the Greek Red Damsel'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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Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da601. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da602. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da603. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da604. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da605.
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Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da606. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da607. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae). PhotoID: Da608. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae). PhotoID: Da609. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae). PhotoID: Da610.
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Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da611. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da612. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da613. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da614. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da615.
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Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da616. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da617. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da618. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae f. melanotum) - female. PhotoID: Da619. Greek Red Damsel (Pyrrhosoma elisabethae) - male. PhotoID: Da620.