Plettet smaragdlibel (Somatochlora flavomaculata)
• English name: Yellow-Spotted Emerald
• German name: Gefleckte Smaragdlibelle
• French name: Cordulie à taches jaunes
• Dutch name: Gevlekte glanslibel
• Swedish name: Gulfläckad glanstrollslända
• Norwegian name: Gulflekket metalløyenstikker
• Finnish name: Täpläkiiltokorento
• Danish name: Plettet smaragdlibel
• Italian name: Smeralda maculata
• Czech name: lesklice skvrnitá
• Slovenian name: Pegasti lesketnik
• Bulgarian name: Жълтопетниста зеленка
Plettet smaragdlibel (Somatochlora flavomaculata)
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, metallic-green species, which is fairly common in central and eastern Europe; rare in the south-east; absent from Iberia, the British Isles and the far north | |
| Classification | • suborder: Anisoptera (dragonflies); family: Corduliidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern | |
| Scientific name | • Somatochlora flavomaculata (Vander Linden, 1825) | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • marshes and ponds | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 45-54 mm; hindwing: 32-39 mm | |
| Notes | • noticeably smaller and more slender than Somatochlora metallica | |
| • the yellow patches and spots on the thorax and abdomen darken with age and may become inconspicuous | ||
| • cordulids are 'fliers': they spend a lot of time on the wing and seldom hang up for a rest | ||
| Both sexes | Head | • the eyes are green (brown in immature animals) |
| Thorax | • the thorax is metallic green with two yellow patches on the side | |
| Male | Abdomen | ➤ the metallic-green abdomen bears large yellow patches on S2-S3 and small yellow spots laterally on S4-S8 |
| Female | Abdomen | ➤ the metallic-green abdomen bears large yellow patches on S2-S3 and large yellow spots laterally on S4-S8 |
| Photographs | • most of our photos below were made in Germany, Sweden and Finland |
LineDrawing: the male's and the female's appendages in lateral view.
