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TranslateIschnura elegans
Ischnura elegans, (Vander Linden, 1820) Blue-tailed Damselfly.
Family: Coenagrionidae, Genus Ischnura.
Length: 30 to 34mm
Flight season: Late April to September/October
A widespread and extremely common species, also called the “Common Bluetail.” Can be found over most of Europe, except for the far northern countries. A little further north of the UK in Western Europe, over to Turkey and beyond, in the east; also, all the countries in Southern Europe that have coastlines along the north of the Mediterranean.
Habitat: A variety of habitats that are close to water, preferring still waters such as ponds and small lakes, will not be so frequently found on moving waters. The Blue-tailed Damselfly is tolerant of some salinity, but avoids acid sites.
Adults are very good flyers and catch many small flying insects in mid-air, which are clasped tightly between their legs, these have hairs on for gripping the prey.
When the adults are mating, they can very often be seen together, as the process can take up to six hours. Sometimes the adult pair can be interrupted, especially when another male decides to latch onto the mating male.
Females lay their eggs on the surfaces of floating vegetation; the male takes no part.
The larvae are carnivorous and will prey on small aquatic insects or other small aquatic larvae, taking approximately a year to complete their development, within the water.
Females occur in a variety of colour tones, normally similar to the males, immature females can have a pink or violet thorax. When the female matures, she can become darker and have a brown or yellow colouration, immature males are greener in colour than the adult blue. Generally, males and most females are mainly black with blue confined to segment 8.
Read MoreFamily: Coenagrionidae, Genus Ischnura.
Length: 30 to 34mm
Flight season: Late April to September/October
A widespread and extremely common species, also called the “Common Bluetail.” Can be found over most of Europe, except for the far northern countries. A little further north of the UK in Western Europe, over to Turkey and beyond, in the east; also, all the countries in Southern Europe that have coastlines along the north of the Mediterranean.
Habitat: A variety of habitats that are close to water, preferring still waters such as ponds and small lakes, will not be so frequently found on moving waters. The Blue-tailed Damselfly is tolerant of some salinity, but avoids acid sites.
Adults are very good flyers and catch many small flying insects in mid-air, which are clasped tightly between their legs, these have hairs on for gripping the prey.
When the adults are mating, they can very often be seen together, as the process can take up to six hours. Sometimes the adult pair can be interrupted, especially when another male decides to latch onto the mating male.
Females lay their eggs on the surfaces of floating vegetation; the male takes no part.
The larvae are carnivorous and will prey on small aquatic insects or other small aquatic larvae, taking approximately a year to complete their development, within the water.
Females occur in a variety of colour tones, normally similar to the males, immature females can have a pink or violet thorax. When the female matures, she can become darker and have a brown or yellow colouration, immature males are greener in colour than the adult blue. Generally, males and most females are mainly black with blue confined to segment 8.
