Ecology and Development of Scarlet Dragonfly (Crocothemis еrythraea (Odonata)) Larvae in the Central Caucasus
摘要
Abstract
Larvae of the dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea (Brullé, 1832) inhabit warm aquatic biotopes, no deeper than 25 cm, with submerged and semiaquatic vegetation and a bottom with a silt-detritus structure. The main factor in the onset of the larva metamorphosis and emergence of adults is the water body warming to 18 ± 1°C. Larvae go through 11 age stages of development, differing in a set of morphological and linear parameters. The larvae are grouped into 6 age groups with a common set of morphological characteristics. The development time of larvae, including the duration of the egg phase, is 81–104 days.