Taxonomy
Cordulegaster boltonii | Golden-ringed Dragonfly | Snáthaid Mhór Órfháinneach
Distribution
Status
Conservation status
Ireland: Not Assessed
EU: Least Concern
Native status
First Recorded in 2005
Species Biology
Identification
Length male: 74mm
Length female: 84mm
Wingspan: 101mm
Very large, black dragonfly with striking yellow rings along abdomen. No significant change in appearance with age. Males have club-shaped abdomen, bright green eyes that meet at a single point on the top of the head and a yellow face.
Females are longer and do not have a waisted appearance, they have a long and
pointy ovipositor which allows them to lay their eggs deep into the gravel/sand
of the river bed. Aside from that females are quite similar to males in
appearance.
Adult habitat & habits
Males patrol breeding streams, flying close to the surface
on a regular beat. They’re fast and powerful flyers. They are voracious
predators and like to feed on other dragonflies, damselflies, bees, wasps and
beetles. They like to perch on vegetation close to the water.
Habitat
Prefer fast-flowing rivers, heathland and acidic water
although has been recorded along calcareous chalk streams in the UK. Sunlit
areas are preferred but can be found in shaded woodland streams.
Flight period
May to September
Life cycle
The larvae of these dragonflies live just under the sediment
of the river bed, waiting until prey passes by to catch and eat it. They can
take up to five years in the nymph stage to develop fully.
Distribution
World distribution(GBIF)
Irish distribution
Only three records to date of this dragonfly in Ireland, all females, one
in Kilkenny in 2005 and two in Waterford in 2005 and 2008.
Temporal change
Records submitted to Data Centre in 2023
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