It has a body length of 47 to 55 mm with a wingspan of 60 to 73 mm.
The body of both sexes is metallic green and becomes copper-coloured with age. The abdomen has large white spots in the area of segments S2 and S3. The thorax is reddish hairy. The face is almost completely dark, only the lower part is coloured yellow. The wings are saffron-coloured at the bases. The eyes are emerald green.
The male has a club-shaped abdomen, the thickest part of which is in the rear third. In contrast, the abdomen of the female is cylindrical and somewhat thicker.
The Downy Emerald mainly inhabits stagnant bodies of water, of which it prefers larger open water areas with woodland or trees nearby.
Literature:
- K.-D. Dijkstra, Libellen Europas, 2. Auflage, Haupt Verlag Bern 2021,ISBN 3-258-08219-6, S. 236 f
- K. Sternberg / R. Buchwald, Libellen Baden-Württembergs, Bd. 2, Ulmer Verlag Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3514-0, S. 209–218
- H. Wildermuth, A. Martens, Die Libellen Europas, Quelle & Meyer Wiebelsheim 2018, 3-494-01690-9, S. 550 ff
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