Calopteryx virgo (Harris, 1780)

Pompilio, Lucia & Mosini, Andrea, 2021, The Odonate fauna of Val Grande National Park (Insecta: Odonata), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (1), pp. 25-42 : 30

1. Calopteryx virgo (Harris, 1780)

Conservation and breeding status: LC (EU), LC (IT), LC (MED), B

This European lotic damselfly was recorded in EXP (2) as breeding and in PDS (16) where reproduction was not confirmed. The nearest to VGNP published record comes from De Marmels & Schiess 1978 and was collected at a distance of 3 km at 231 m. Boano et al. (2007) did not report it as frequent in the alpine region of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta because of lack of relevant data at that time; in fact, Clemente et al. 2011 observed it along the main bottom of Val d’Ossola, where it occurred as high as 1200 m (the latter being the highest record in Piedmont, Bionda et al. 2013). In Piedmont the nominal subspecies C. virgo virgo and C. virgo meridionalis are both recognized and overlap with individuals with intermediate characters ( Boano et al. 2007; Siesa 2017). The same pattern is observed in the adjacent Swiss Canton Tessin ( Wildermuth et al. 2005).