Gemeine Winterlibelle vs Sibirische Winterlibelle

Sympecma fusca compared with Sympecma paedisca

Key Differences

• Gemeine Winterlibelle is Least Concern while Sibirische Winterlibelle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gemeine Winterlibelle	Sibirische Winterlibelle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class same	Insecta (Insekten)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order same	Odonata (Libellen)	Odonata (Libellen)
Family same	Lestidae	Lestidae
Genus same	Sympecma	Sympecma
Species	Sympecma fusca	Sympecma paedisca

Evolutionary Relationship

Gemeine Winterlibelle and Sibirische Winterlibelle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Sympecma.

Conservation Status

Gemeine Winterlibelle

LC — Least Concern

Sibirische Winterlibelle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gemeine Winterlibelle	Sibirische Winterlibelle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gemeine Winterlibelle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Sibirische Winterlibelle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Sweden.

Gemeine Winterlibelle

<em>Sympecma fusca</em>, commonly known as the common winter damsel or common spreadwing, is a damselfly in the family Lestidae, classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. It is distributed across temperate Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden, and is one of the very few odonates in Europe that overwinters as an adult. This remarkable strategy distinguishes <em>Sympecma fusca</em> from most other damselflies, which overwinter in aquatic larval stages. Adults emerge in late summer, enter a reproductive diapause, and survive through autumn and winter by seeking sheltered terrestrial refugia such as dense vegetation, bark, or leaf litter. Mating and oviposition occur the following spring, typically from March onward. The species inhabits a range of standing and slow-moving freshwater habitats including ponds, marshes, ditches, and the margins of reed-fringed lakes, where larvae develop in aquatic vegetation. Like all lestid damselflies, adults hold their wings partly open at rest rather than folded over the abdomen as in most other damselflies. Biological traits including average adult lifespan, body length, and mass remain poorly documented in standardized databases, though the adult lifespan spanning overwintering can extend to several months. Ecologically, the common winter damsel contributes to freshwater invertebrate food webs as both a predatory adult and as aquatic larval prey for fish and other predators across its European range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇸🇪 Sweden