Domestic dragonflies - Germany / Federal Republic of Germany 1991 - 60 Pfennig

The flat belly (Libellula depressa Linnaeus, 1758) is the best known representative of the leaflets (family Libellulidae). It is characterized by large brown spots on the base of the wing and the unusually short, broad, flattened abdomen, which is wax-blue in the male, olive-brown in the female and has crescent-shaped yellow spots on the middle segments; Body length about 47 mm. This beautiful dragonfly is probably the best aviator among the European representatives of the order. Its distribution area extends over Europe, front and central Asia. In Germany it is common everywhere. Their preferred habitats are smaller, low-vegetation waters, clay pools and gravel pits. The mating takes place only in flight and only takes a few seconds. The female taps the egg repeatedly with the abdomen flying on the water. The short, broad larvae live in the mud, preferably at the water-land border. They undergo 11 larval stages in the two years of total development time. The Vollkerfe appear already in early May and fly until the beginning of August. The four species of dragonfly depicted in this stamp series belong to the great dragonflies (Suborder Anisoptera), which are characterized by the unequal shape of the two wing pairs and the very large eyes.