Cordulegaster boltonii (Donovan, 1807)

Separated from C. bidentata by a larger yellow coloration, the first abdominal segment with a yellow “reversed C”-shaped spot and the yellow occipital triangle. Anal triangle has 4-5 cells. Male upper appendages are diverging but very close at their base.

Flight period ranges from the end of May to mid-September, with a peak of adults in July.

The larvae grow in shadowy waters, even with fast stream and with sandy bottom both in woody areas and in open habitats with riparian vegetation. The species can be found both in the plain and in mountain areas, in ditches, brooks, rivulets and small streams. The larvae live embedded in the sediment.

Widespread in western Europe, it becomes rarer eastwards. Northwards it can be observed also in Great Britain and in southern Scandinavia, but southwards there are populations also in central Italy and Morocco. This species is abundant along the main watercourses of the Cuneo region, where environmental and vegetation conditions allow breeding.