Lesser Emperor
Anax parthenope
This species occurs in Asia, North Africa and Europe. In Portugal, it is well distributed across the mainland and also found in the Madeira archipelago. Lesser Emperor is usually at its most active in midsummer and can be seen patrolling lakes and ponds in large numbers. It favours broad water bodies, such as river and stream backwaters, or lakes. It is very common in city lakes and in the Gulbenkian Garden, especially during July and August.
Text: Eva Monteiro, Albano Soares, Renata Santos, Rui Félix, Cândida Ramos, Ricardo Ramirez and Patrícia Garcia-Pereira