Variable damselfly

Variable damselfly
Male, shoulder stripe just broken, UK
Female, dark form, Estonia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Coenagrionidae
Genus: Coenagrion
Species:
C. pulchellum
Binomial name
Coenagrion pulchellum

The variable damselfly or variable bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) is a European damselfly. Despite its name, it is not the only blue damselfly prone to variable patterning.

Its behaviour is much like that of the azure damselfly; it usually stays close to vegetation. Immatures are often found in adjacent meadows or uncut grassy areas.

Description

The male variable damselfly has a distinctive "wine glass" marking on the second segment of the abdomen. This is a black U-shaped mark with a black line joining the segment's narrow terminal black band.[1] (This distinguishes it from the azure damselfly which has the U-shape but no line connecting it to the terminal band.)[1]

  • Male forms
  • Male S9 virtually unmarked
    Male
    S9 virtually unmarked
  • Male, shoulder stripe unbroken
    Male, shoulder stripe unbroken
  • Male, shoulder stripe broken
    Male, shoulder stripe broken
  • mating, with female blue form
    mating, with female blue form
  • mating, with young adult female blue form
    mating, with young adult female blue form
  • Female forms
  • immature female, blue form
    immature female, blue form
  • young adult female blue form
    young adult female blue form
  • adult female, dark form
    adult female, dark form

Distribution

The variable damselfly occurs throughout Europe. Scattered and uncommon in mainland Britain but widespread and common in Ireland.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Brooks, Steve (1997). Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-0-5.
  2. ^ "Variable Damselfly". British Dragonfly Society. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coenagrion pulchellum.


This article related to Coenagrionidae is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.