Emperor dragonfly or Blue emperor - Anax imperator (Leach,1815) - Cyprus

See also - List of Odonata of Cyprus - (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cyprus)

The emperor dragonfly or blue emperor (Anax imperator) is a large species of hawker dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, averaging 78 millimetres (3.1 in) in length. It is found mainly in Europe and nearby Africa and Asia.
They frequently fly high up into the sky in search of prey, which includes butterflies, Four-spotted Chasers and tadpoles; small prey is eaten while flying. They breed in a variety of aquatic habitats from large ponds to dykes, but they require a plentiful supply of vegetation in the water. The females lay the eggs into plants such as pondweed, and always lay alone. The male is highly territorial, and difficult to approach
When they first emerge, both sexes appear pale green with brown markings. The legs are brown with a yellow like base. Wings are born black but grow yellow-brown with age. Males have a sky blue abdomen marked with a diagnostic black dorsal stripe and an apple green thorax. The thorax and head of a male is green and their prominent eyes are blue. Females have similar markings but they are mainly green.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.PhotoS Potamia, 7/5/2015 by George Konstantinou

Banded demoiselle - Calopteryx splendens (Harris, 1780) - Cyprus

See also - List of Odonata of Cyprus - (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cyprus)

The banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers. It is a Eurasian species occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and northwestern China.

This is a large damselfly with a total length of up to 48 millimetres (1.9 in) and a hindwing length of up to 36 millimetres (1.4 in).

The male has translucent wings which each have a broad, dark iridescent blue-black spot (or band) across the outer part. On immature dragonflies the spot is dark brown. The body can be a metallic blue or bluish green or a combination of both colours, depending on the time of year and location.

The dark wing patch of the male starts at the nodus (the slight dip midway down the upper edge of the wing) but can reach up to the wing-tip in southern races. In the very similar species C. virgo (beautiful demoiselle), the dark starts before the nodus.

The female has translucent, pale green iridescent wings with a white patch near the tip (a pseudopterostigma), and a metallic green metallic bronze/green body.

Females can lay up to 10 eggs per minute for 45 minutes. They lay in a wide variety of emergent or floating plants, sometimes even submerging to do so.

The eggs hatch after 14 days. The larvae have very long legs and are stick-shaped. They develop over two years, usually. They tolerate muddy water and overwinter buried in mud. When they are ready to moult into an adult, they climb up a suitable reed or plant and shed their skin

Males are usually territorial, but large numbers can sometimes be found in lush bankside plants and on floating objects. They court females by opening their wings and performing an aerial dance. They are usually found in canals and quiet rivers with muddy bottoms located in open country

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos Orkonta 20/6/2015 by George Konstantinou

                                                                            Male

                                                                 Female

Black percher - Diplacodes lefebvrii (Rambur, 1842) - Cyprus

 Family Libellulidae
Diplacodes lefebvrii, the black percher, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
 Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, moist savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, rivers, intermittent rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

See also - List of Odonata of Cyprus - (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cyprus)

 Photos Amochostos Kouklia 13/7/2015 by George Konstantinou

Slender Skimmer or Green Marsh Hawk - Orthetrum sabina (Drury,1770) - Cyprus

See also - List of Odonata of Cyprus - (Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cyprus)

 Family Libellulidae

Orthetrum sabina, the Slender Skimmer  or Green Marsh Hawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread, being found from southeastern Europe, Cyprus and North Africa to Japan and south to Australia and Micronesia. Adults are greyish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings. It is very similar to Orthetrum serapia in appearance, with both species appearing in northern Australia. Pale markings on segment four of the abdomen do not extend into the posterior section when viewed from above on Orthetrum sabina. It is medium sized with a wingspan of 60-85mm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Photos Amochostos Kouklia 13/7/2015 by George Konstantinou