# Beautiful Demoiselle (*Calopteryx virgo*) The Beautiful Demoiselle is a stunning dragonfly with bright blue or green wings. They flutter around rivers and streams, showing off their beautiful colors to everyone nearby. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Wetlands - **Also known as:** Calopteryx ![Beautiful Demoiselle](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Beautiful_Demoiselle_Calopteryx_virgo.jpg&width=800) Photo: Richard Bartz, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beautiful_Demoiselle_Calopteryx_virgo.jpg) ## Appearance The Beautiful Demoiselle males have a slender, iridescent blue-green body with striking dark, almost black wings that shimmer purple in sunlight. Females are typically a duller bronze-green, featuring translucent brownish wings with a small white spot on each. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Odonata - **Family:** Calopterygidae - **Genus:** Calopteryx ## Interesting facts - Finding them is a sign that a river or stream has very clean and healthy water. - Male demoiselles perform a graceful, fluttering dance to impress and attract a mate. - Their fierce larvae are ambush hunters, lurking on riverbeds to snatch aquatic prey! - Unlike dragonflies, these damselflies hold their wings together over their back when resting. ## Special abilities - **Underwater Breath:** Beautiful Demoiselle larvae can breathe underwater using special gills, which helps them survive hidden from predators for years. - **Acrobatic Flight:** Beautiful Demoiselle can quickly change direction and hover in mid-air, allowing them to expertly catch tiny flying insects. - **Jewel Signal:** Beautiful Demoiselle's iridescent wings flash bright colours, which helps them signal their presence to other damselflies. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 60-75 mm - **Size:** 45-50 mm - **Lifespan:** 20-60 days - **Flight Speed:** 8 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Both young and adult Beautiful Demoiselles are skillful hunters of smaller insects, on land and in water. - **Age differences:** Larvae hunt aquatic insects and small tadpoles underwater, while adults catch flying insects in the air. - **Primary Foods:** mosquitoes, midges, small flies, mayfly larvae, aquatic worms - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Grey Wagtail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/grey-wagtail) (*Motacilla cinerea*) — Grey Wagtails often snatch them from riverbanks. - **Hunts:** blood midge (*Chironomus plumosus*) — Larvae of the demoiselle hunt these midge larvae underwater. - **Hunts:** [Yellow Fever Mosquito](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-fever-mosquito) (*Aedes aegypti*) — Adult demoiselles expertly catch these flying pests in the air. - **Depends on:** [Common Reed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-reed) (*Phragmites australis*) — They often perch on emergent vegetation along water edges. ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species. - [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Watch them from a distance; they are delicate and like to be left alone. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Beautiful Demoiselle? Compare wing shape and resting posture, where the eyes sit, body markings and the tail segments. Males and females can look very different in color. Dragonfly Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Beautiful Demoiselle's wingspan? 60-75 mm ### How big is Beautiful Demoiselle? 45-50 mm ### How long does Beautiful Demoiselle live? 20-60 days ### How fast can Beautiful Demoiselle fly? 8 km/h ### What does Beautiful Demoiselle eat? Both young and adult Beautiful Demoiselles are skillful hunters of smaller insects, on land and in water. ### Where is Beautiful Demoiselle usually found? Wetlands ### How does Beautiful Demoiselle hunt? Pursuit ## Where to spot - [Wildpark Bruderhaus](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/wildpark-bruderhaus) — Zurich, CH · Zoo - [Naturpark Bergisches Land](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-bergisches-land) — Nordrhein-Westfalen, DE · Park - [Naturpark Südeifel](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/naturpark-sudeifel) — Rheinland-Pfalz, DE · Park [View all places to see Beautiful Demoiselle](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/beautiful-demoiselle) ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Beautiful Demoiselle: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/beautiful-demoiselle)