| Boreal bluet | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Coenagrionidae |
| Genus: | Enallagma |
| Species: | E. boreale |
| Binomial name | |
| Enallagma boreale (Selys, 1875) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The boreal bluet (Enallagma boreale) is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae.
The boreal bluet is a small damselfly with a length of 1 to 1.6 inches (26 to 40 mm) long. The male is predominately blue on the sides of its thorax, and the upper side of its abdomen. Its lower abdominal appendages are longer than its upper appendages. The female's body is greenish-yellow to brown color. The upper side of its abdomen is mostly black.
The nymph of the boreal bluet is small in size with a length of 0.75 to 1 inch (19 to 23 mm). It has the typical slender shape of many immature damselflies. Nymphs range in color from light to dark brown.
The boreal bluet occurs along lakes, ponds, marshes, and streams with slow to moderate flow. This species occurs in a wide variety of habitats, from sagebrush desert to mountain lakes.
Boreal bluets can have a flight season of early June to late August. They also have a flight season from late March to late September.
The boreal bluet eats a wide variety of small soft-bodied flying insects, including mosquitoes, mayflies, flies and small moths. They will sometimes pick small insects such as aphids from plants.
The nymph eats a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, and other aquatic fly larvae.
The boreal bluet looks almost identical to the northern bluet. Even both of these species share similar ranges in North America, they are almost never found at the same body of water. Both the boreal bluet and the northern bluet are found early in the season. The reasons for this separation remains still unknown.
Male boreal bluets set up territories at their choice breeding sites. After both genders mate, the female boreal bluet oviposits in aquatic vegetation.
Like many bluets in the genus Enallagma many species look similar to each other. The boreal bluet looks has similar to many bluet species. They include the northern bluet, familiar bluet, Hagen's bluet, marsh bluet, and vernal bluet. It can be distinguished from familiar bluet by the large postocular spots and the shorter cerci. The characteristics shared by northern and boreal bluets are their large eyespots, and a mushroom-shaped black spot on abdominal segment S2. Its best seen dorsally.
Enallagma boreale has two different subspecies. The following are the two subspecies:
Boreal bluet populations are currently widespread, abundant, and secure.
Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes the dragonflies and damselflies. Like most other flying insects, they evolved in the early Mesozoic era. Their prototypes, the giant dragonflies of the Carboniferous, 325 MYA, are no longer placed in the Odonata but included in the Protodonata or Meganisoptera.
Damselflies are flying 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.
Aquatic insects or water insects live some portion of their life cycle in the water. They feed in the same ways as other insects. Some diving insects, such as predatory diving beetles, can hunt for food underwater where land-living insects cannot compete.
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.
Enallagma is a genus of damselflies in the family Coenagrionidae commonly known as bluets. The genus consists of the following species:
Sympetrum vicinum, the yellow-legged meadowhawk or autumn meadowhawk, is a member of the Libellulidae family and grows to 26–35 mm long.
The stream bluet is a species of American bluet damselflies in the family Coenagrionidae. Its length is 29–37 mm. Many bluet species prefer ponds and lakes; the stream bluet as its name implies is most at home along moving waters. It can be found along small to medium-sized rivers. It is occasionally found at lakes too. In many species of damselflies the males have a blue tip to the abdomen. Enallagma exsulans is one of those less common cases where the female, too, has a blue abdominal tip. Summertime is the best time to look for stream bluets.
The tule bluet is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae found in North America.
The marsh bluet is a damselfly species in the family Coenagrionidae.
The dot-tailed whiteface is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is also one of the most common and widespread in the genus Leucorrhinia.
Sympetrum madidum, the red-veined meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae.
Progomphus borealis is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. This dragonfly species is commonly known as the gray sanddragon.
Enallagma traviatum is a species of small damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is commonly known as the slender bluet. The slender is small about 29–32 mm in length.
Gomphurus externus, the plains clubtail, is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae.
Phanogomphus graslinellus is a species of dragonfly in the family Gomphidae. This species is commonly known as the pronghorn clubtail.
The Hudsonian whiteface is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common name comes from where it is found, Hudson Bay.
Enallagma annexum, the northern bluet, is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Enallagma annexum was formerly included with Enallagma cyathigerum.
Coxoplectoptera or "chimera wings" is an extinct order of winged insects containing one family, Mickoleitiidae. Coxoplectopterans are closely related to the mayflies.
