Abstract
Coenagrion mercuriale is a threatened damselfly in most parts of its geographic distribution. It is listed as endangered in North Africa, where no data on its biology or ecology are available. This study aims to illustrate the reproductive behaviour and habitat preferences of adults in a population located in north-east Algeria, representing the southern limit of the species distribution. After emergence, adults spent 3 to 4 days away from the water to mature. Young mature individuals returned to the stream to mate, sometimes not far from their emergence site. The mean duration of copulation and oviposition were 20.08 ± 8.79 min (± SD) and 52.66 ± 12.17 min (± SD), respectively, separated by a short post-copulatory rest of 4.60 ± 2.02 min (± SD). Copulation duration was positively correlated with male body length while resting duration was positively related to copulation duration. Single males and breeding pairs preferred the same habitats, characterized by relatively dense and high in-channel bank veget...
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