Ischnura elegans (Blue-tailed Damselfly)

One of my personal favourites, a wonderfully delicate damsel but it’s the glittering array of female colour forms that fascinates.

Id Notes

  • bi-coloured pterostigma
  • ♂ – dorsal side of abdomen bronze-black except S8 which is blue
  • ♂ – blue side of thorax and antehumeral stripes
  • imm. ♂ – green but still with dark dorsal side to abdomen
  • ♀ – five colour variations, some being immature versions (see photos)
male teneral male
female colour variations pair in cop

 

Look out for:

  • bi-coloured pterostigma;
  • bronze-black abdomen with contrasting sky-blue S8 (♂);
  • S8 blue or brown in some variations (♀);
  • the female colour variations.

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