Libelloides coccajus (Denis et Schiffermüller, 1775)

(Fig. 10)

The first accounts about the larva of this species are not informative (Hagen 1873) or unreliable (Xambeu 1903; Lacroix 1923), while Eglin (1940) discussed the hatching behaviour of the first instar larvae. Surprisingly the first exhaustive description of the larva of this species, one of the more common and widespread European ascalaphids, was relatively recently realized by Rousset (1973). Finally, a photo of a larva appears in U. Aspöck & H. Aspöck (1999).

Examined specimens. France. Alpes Maritimes, 15 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Venanson, VI.2011 (D. Badano). Italy. Liguria, 4 L3 laboratory-reared from a female collected at Mt. Toraggio (IM), VII.2010 (D. Badano).

Description of 3 rd instar larva. Size (based on 19 specimens): BL 10.53 mm; HL 2.66 mm (2.51–2.91), HW 3.10 mm (2.89–3.30), ML 3.09 mm (2.87–3.29), HW/HL 1.16, ML/HL 1.16. General colouring brown with dark markings and areas, dorsal side with a median paler stripe, ventral side of the body pale, mottled with grey; dorsal side of the head capsule brown with a darker anterior area, ventral side of the head completely brown, mandibles brown; legs with dark brown coxae and pale brown femora, tibiae and tarsi; setae of the body black. Head wider than long, noticeably dilated posteriorly (Fig. 10b); mandibles longer than the head capsule (Fig. 10a); interdental pseudo-teeth: (3–4)(1–3)(0–1); external margin of the mandible with short setae reaching the apical tooth, base of the mandible covered by long setae; dorsal and ventral sides of the mandible covered by short and sparsely disposed setae. Pronotum covered by short setae, brown in colour with a pair of darker stripes; mesothoracic spiracles ochre with a dark apex. Abdominal spiracles dark brown; VIII sternite equipped with a pair of brown spots in correspondence of the odontoid processes (Fig. 10c); IX sternite pale with a dark posterior margin.

Bio-ecology. L. coccajus is a common, euryoecious species associated with an ample array of open biotopes from the lowlands to mountains such as: grasslands, glades, low scrublands and sparse woods, being exclusively absent from sites with excessive grazing. The larvae are ambush hunters living on the soil surface, camouflaged among the rocks and the tufts of herbaceous plants. Generally L. coccajus has the earliest flight period, as the first adults emerge in early April.

Distribution. Widely distributed in western and central Europe (Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic).

Remarks. The larva of L. coccajus lacks noteworthy diagnostic characters, being mostly recognizable due to the dark brown hue of the body and the dilated posterior margins of the head capsule.