Four-spotted chaser facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Four-spotted chaser |
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| Male Farmoor Reservoir, Oxfordshire |
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| Female, Kampinos Forest, Poland | |
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The Libellula quadrimaculata, also called the four-spotted chaser in Europe and the four-spotted skimmer in North America, is a type of dragonfly. It belongs to the Libellulidae family. You can find these amazing insects across many parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
This dragonfly is quite special! It's even the official state insect of Alaska.
Contents
Life Cycle of the Four-Spotted Chaser
Adult four-spotted chasers are usually seen flying from spring to early autumn. In the United Kingdom, they appear from April to early September. In Ireland, you can spot them from mid-May to mid-August.
The young dragonflies, called larvae or nymphs, live in water for about two years before they become adults.
What They Eat
Adult four-spotted chasers are hunters! They mostly eat small flying insects like mosquitoes, gnats, and midges. The larvae, living underwater, eat other small water insects and even tiny tadpoles.
Wing Spots: A Special Look
There's a unique version of this dragonfly called praenubila Newman. These dragonflies have much bigger spots on their wings. Scientists think this might be because of the water temperature when they were growing up as larvae. This special type is more common in Europe than in North America.
Where Four-Spotted Chasers Live
These active dragonflies love to live near water. You'll often find them by ponds, temporary pools called vernal pools, and slow-moving rivers. They are most common during June and July.
How to Identify Them
It's easy to spot a four-spotted chaser! They have a brown body and, as their name suggests, four clear spots on their wings. These spots make them stand out from other dragonflies.
Four-Spotted Chaser Behavior
Male four-spotted chasers are known to be quite protective of their space. They will guard their territory from other males of the same species. A male dragonfly often picks a favorite spot, like a branch or a reed near the water, and keeps returning to it. From this perch, it watches for any other dragonflies trying to enter its area.
They like to perch where they can see the sky clearly, especially away from the sun. This helps them use their special eyes, which are good at seeing blue and UV light, to spot other flying insects against the bright sky. Both male and female four-spotted chasers are excellent fliers. They even mate while flying, not on a perch or in plants. After mating, the female lays her eggs on plants floating in the water. These dragonflies are usually easier to get close to than some other types, like the Broad-bodied Chaser.
Who Eats the Four-Spotted Chaser?
Even dragonflies have predators! Larger dragonflies, like the [[Anax imperator|emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator)], sometimes hunt and eat four-spotted chasers. Another predator is the green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris).
Gallery
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Female four-spotted chaser
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Female, the praenubila variant
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A four-spotted chaser in flight
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Two four-spotted chasers mating
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See also
In Spanish: Libélula de cuatro puntos para niños
