Bug FAQLarge Red Damselfly
Pyrrhosoma nymphula · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae
Also called: Large Red Damsel, large red dragonfly
The large red damselfly reaches about 33 to 36 mm in length and has black legs with wing spots in both sexes. Mature males show red eyes, a black thorax and red shoulder stripes, while immature males have yellow stripes. It lives around small ponds, lakes, dikes and occasionally slow-moving rivers across Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Both sexes have black legs and wing spots. Mature males have red eyes, a black thorax and red shoulder stripes; immature males have yellow stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 33 to 36 mm long (about 1.3 to 1.4 in).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found near small ponds, lakes, dikes and sometimes slow-moving rivers.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Larval development takes about two years. Immature adults mature in roughly two weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
They are often the first damselflies to emerge, usually in April or May. Adults may be seen through September, depending on location.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
They can be confused with small red damselflies, which have orange legs, whereas the large red damselfly has black legs.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
When do large red damselflies appear?
They usually emerge in April or May and can be seen until September, depending on the locality.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a large red damselfly apart from similar species?
Look at the leg colour: large red damselflies have black legs, while the smaller red species have orange legs.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the large red damselfly live?
It inhabits small ponds, lakes, dikes and sometimes slow-moving rivers across Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coenagrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_red_damselfly
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.