Bladetail facts for kids
Lindenia tetraphylla, also known as the bladetail, is a type of dragonfly. It belongs to the Gomphidae family. You can find these dragonflies in Central and Southwest Asia, and also in some parts of the Mediterranean area. The bladetail is unique because it is the only species in its group, called the Lindenia genus.
Quick facts for kids Bladetail |
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_male_Macedonia.jpg) |
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| Male photographed in North Macedonia | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Lindenia (dragonfly)
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| Species: |
tetraphylla
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| Synonyms | |
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Lindenia inkiti Bartenef, 1929 |
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What Does the Bladetail Look Like?
Adult bladetails are easy to spot because of their large size. They can be about 69 to 80 millimeters long. A special feature is the leaf-shaped flaps found on the underside of their abdomen tip. These flaps are unique among European dragonflies.
The flaps make their narrow, long abdomen look club-shaped at the end. Their main color is pale yellow. They have dark brown or black marks that can be different sizes. The pterostigma (a colored spot near the tip of their wings) is also dark. In southern Croatia and Montenegro, you might see bladetails that are completely black. This might happen because they grow up in cold springs.
Adult bladetails fly during the summer months. You can see them from late May until August.
Where Do Bladetails Live?
Bladetails like to breed in large lakes and big rivers that flow slowly. Adult bladetails often travel far from where they were born. They can even move into new water areas, like old gravel pits. They are known as a pioneer species in these new places.
However, you will more often find them near lakes with wide reed beds. They also like areas with floating patches of aquatic plants. Female bladetails lay their eggs in these plants.
This species is found across a wide area. This includes most parts of Central and Southwest Asia, and the eastern Mediterranean. But they are spread out, and you only find many of them in a few specific spots. In the Mediterranean, they mostly live near the coast.
One of the largest groups of bladetails is probably found near Lake Skadar. This lake is on the border between Albania and Montenegro. In 2011, experts thought there were about one million bladetails there. But Lake Skadar is one of only two places in Montenegro where bladetails are known to live.
Sometimes, individual bladetails can fly as far north as southwestern Slovenia. One was caught there in the 1960s, but none have been seen since. The most northern known breeding group in the Mediterranean lives on the Croatian island of Cres. Only a few male bladetails have been seen in North Africa. So, we don't know how many live there now.
