Common Blue Damselfly
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iCommon Blue Damselfly | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| | ||||||||||||||||
| Enallagma cyathigerum (Charpentier, 1840) |
The Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) is a European damselfly.
The species can reach a length of 32 to 35 mm. It is common in all of Europe, except for Iceland.
[edit] Identification
The Common Blue Damselfly can be easily mistaken for the Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella), but on the back and the thorax, the Common Blue Damselfly has more blue than black; for the Azure Damselfly it is the other way around. Another difference can be observed when inspecting the side of the thorax. The Common Blue Damselfly has only one small black stripe there, while all other blue damselflies have two.
During mating, the male clasps the female by her neck while she bends her body around to his reproductive organs – this is called a mating wheel. The pair flies together over the water and eggs are laid within a suitable plant, just below the surface.
The eggs hatch and the larvae, called nymphs, live in the water. Nymphs climb out of the water up a suitable stem to moult into damselflies.
| Image:Roseate Skimmer.jpg | This article related to members of the order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
lt:Paprastoji mėlynoji strėliukė nl:Watersnuffel pl:Nimfa stawowa
