| Azure damselfly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| male | |
 | |
| female (blue phase) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Coenagrionidae |
| Genus: | Coenagrion |
| Species: | C. puella |
| Binomial name | |
| Coenagrion puella | |
The azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) is a species of damselfly found in most of Europe. It is notable for its distinctive black and blue colouring. They are commonly found around ponds and lakesides during the summer.
Adult male azure damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. They have an azure blue abdomen patterned with black markings. The marking on the second segment of the abdomen is U-shaped, separated from the segment's narrow terminal black band. (This distinguishes it from the variable damselfly where the U-shape is joined to the terminal band with a black line.)
Segments three to five are blue with broader black terminal bands, lacking the forward-pointing projection the upper surface which adult male common blue damselfly has. Segment six has a similar pattern but with more restricted blue and a broader area of black, and segment seven is mostly black, with just a narrow blue area at the base. Segment eight and much of segment nine are sky-blue, forming a noticeable contrasting patch, but there are small dark markings on the rear upper side of segment nine, which adult male common blue damselfly does not possess.
Adult female azure damselflies have a head and thorax pattern similar to that of the male, but with glittering, glossy green replacing the blue coloring. The abdominal segments are largely black in coloring, with narrow pale markings at the junction between each segment.
The nymphs are usually green with browner wing buds and lamellae. They develop in one year (two in the north), feeding among submerged vegetation and on small invertebrates.
Mature adults are seen frequently mating and laying eggs. It usually stays close to the vegetation around the pond or lake and flies from May to September.
This common damselfly looks very like a common blue damselfly. The behaviour is also different - unlike common blues, they rarely fly out over large stretches of water. They are not normally as common around August and September, June and July being the peak of their populations.
Damselflies are insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings along the body when at rest, unlike dragonflies which hold the wings flat and away from the body. An ancient group, damselflies have existed since at least the Lower Permian, and are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Enallagma cyathigerum is a species found mainly between latitudes 40°N and 72°N; It is widely distributed in the Palearctic, and the Nearctic species Enallagma annexum was at one time considered to be synonymous with it. The species can reach a length of 32 to 35 mm. It is common in many different countries including Russia, Europe and South Korea. Damselflies are an important link between the health of the aquatic ecosystem and its response to climate change.
The Large red damselfly, Pyrrhosoma nymphula, is a species of damselflies belonging to the family Coenagrionidae.
The blue-tailed damselfly or common bluetail is a damselfly, belonging to the family Coenagrionidae.
The variable damselfly or variable bluet is a European damselfly. Despite its name, it is not the only blue damselfly prone to variable patterning.
The Irish damselfly or crescent bluet is a damselfly found in northern Europe and Asia to north-eastern China;. It is common and widespread in northern Finland, scarce and local in the Netherlands and Ireland and rare elsewhere. One of its English name comes from the fact that it is found in Ireland but not in Britain. The alternative name, crescent bluet, refers to the shape of the markings on segment two of the male and its scientific name.
The southern hawker or blue hawker is a species of hawker dragonfly.
Erythemis simplicicollis, the eastern pondhawk, also known as the common pondhawk, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is a dragonfly of ponds and still waters. The species is distinguished in that the female is bright green with a banded abdomen and the mature male has a blue abdomen with a green face and green and blue thorax.
The white-legged damselfly or blue featherleg is a damselfly of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range.
Aeshna affinis, the southern migrant hawker or blue-eyed hawker, is a dragonfly found in southern Europe and Asia. It is in the family Aeshnidae and is very similar in appearance to A. mixta.
Eastern forktail is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae.
The marsh bluet is a damselfly species in the family Coenagrionidae.
The orange bluet is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.
Lestes sponsa, is a damselfly, with a wide Palaearctic distribution. It is known commonly as the emerald damselfly or common spreadwing. Both males and females have a metallic green colour and when resting its wings are usually half opened.
Chalcolestes viridis, formerly Lestes viridis, is a damselfly of the family Lestidae. It has a metallic green body and at rest it holds its wings away from its body. Its common name is the willow emerald damselfly or the western willow spreadwing.
Austrolestes colensonis, commonly known as the blue damselfly, is a species of damselfly of the family Lestidae. It is endemic to New Zealand and can commonly be found throughout the country, and at any time of the year. It is New Zealand's largest damselfly, and only blue odonate.
The blue-fronted dancer is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae, native to parts of North America. It was first described by the American zoologist Thomas Say in 1840. It is a common species with a wide range and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Ischnura erratica, the swift forktail, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to the Pacific Northwest, ranging from British Columbia to northern California.
Paracercion calamorum, the dusky lilysquatter, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It has a range that extends from southern far-eastern Russia to Japan, and to India and Indonesia. The nominate subspecies P. c. calamorum is known from central and eastern China, Korea and Japan. The subspecies P. c. dyeri occurs in southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, India, Nepal, and Thailand.
Acanthagrion quadratum, or Mexican wedgetail, is a pond damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It was first described by Edmond de Sélys Longchamps in 1876.
Media related to Coenagrion puella at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Coenagrion puella at Wikispecies