Ceriagrion nipponicum is a damselfly whose males are bright vermilion red from head to tail. It lives in East Asia—Japan, Korea, and China—and is not found in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A small damselfly; the male's abdomen is about 1.1–1.2 in (27–31 mm) long. Males are solid bright red with no markings; females are a dull orange-brown.
- Seasonal forms
- Unlike many dragonflies that redden as they mature, it is already red when it first emerges.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- ponds
- marshes
- Range
- Native to Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu), the Korean Peninsula, and China. It does not occur in North America.
- Preferred conditions
- In Japan it lives in old, tree-shaded ponds and marshes thick with water plants.
Behavior
- Activity
- Mature males patrol through waterside plants looking for females, and pairs mate while perched on plants.
- Overwintering
- Overwinters as a larva.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- Pairs lay eggs together into floating plant stems, with the male holding on in an upright pose; females sometimes lay alone.
- Larva
- In Japan, eggs hatch in 1–2 weeks. Larvae cling to the undersides of floating leaves and take from two months to a year to grow up.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- In Japan it is listed as Near Threatened nationally, mainly because the plant-rich ponds it needs are being lost to development.
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