| Small red damselfly | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Male | |
 | |
| Female, form melanogastrum both at Crockford Stream, New Forest Hampshire, UK | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Odonata |
| Suborder: | Zygoptera |
| Family: | Coenagrionidae |
| Genus: | Ceriagrion |
| Species: | C. tenellum |
| Binomial name | |
| Ceriagrion tenellum (De Villers, 1789) | |
The small red damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) is a small damselfly flying in heathland bogs and streams. It is in the family Coenagrionidae.
Ceriagrion tenellum is only 25–35 millimetres (0.98–1.38 in) long. It is a lot shorter than the large red damselfly, with which it is sometimes confused. In both sexes the thorax is bronze-black on top.
The male has an entirely red abdomen.
The female has a bronze-black abdomen with only the front and back of it red. The dark form melanogastrum has an almost entirely dark abdomen marked with pale segment divisors, the last two of which are reddish. A very rare form, erythrogastrum, resembles the male.
Adults fly low and weakly, rarely going far from breeding waters. Like the southern damselfly, which this species sometimes accompanies, they rarely fly in any but the warmest and calmest weather conditions. They can, however, be surprisingly inconspicuous, even the males.
The males are aggressive towards each other but are not territorial. Oviposition takes place in tandem.
It lays elongated eggs in submerged and emergent plants which subsequently hatch after about a month. The larvae are very small, about 16–17 millimetres (0.63–0.67 in), and are found in acidic bogs, streams and ponds. They live among debris in bogs and develop after two years.
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.
The red-veined darter or nomad is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum.
The keeled skimmer, Orthetrum coerulescens, is a species of dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae.
The banded demoiselle is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It is often found along slow-flowing streams and rivers. It is a Eurasian species occurring from the Atlantic coast eastwards to Lake Baikal and northwestern China.
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 small red-eyed damselfly is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae. It is very similar to the red-eyed damselfly.
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.
Ceriagrion is a genus of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Species of Ceriagrion are small to medium size, generally brightly coloured damselflies. They are found across the Old World, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Ceriagrion glabrum is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Its common names include common orange, common citril, common pond damsel, common waxtail, orange waxtail and gewone aljander. It is widespread in Africa, where it is found in habitats that are dominated by reeds.
The band-winged meadowhawk is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae.
Eastern forktail is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae.
The Hudsonian whiteface is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Its common name comes from where it is found, Hudson Bay.
Lestes dryas is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. Its common names include emerald spreadwing, scarce emerald damselfly and robust spreadwing. An alternate name in Ireland is the turlough spreadwing.
Proischnura polychromatica, the mauve bluet, is a small species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. It is endemic to a small area of Cape Province in South Africa. The adult male has a mauve sheen to its dark-coloured body, a bronze-green thorax striped with mauve, and a pale brown abdomen with a bronze-green dorsal stripe. The female is mainly pale brown. The natural habitat of this damselfly is transient pools in stream beds with floating vegetation, especially sedges. Although previously more widespread, it is now known from a single location where it is threatened by the encroachment of cattle and the loss of suitable habitat. For these reasons, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as "endangered".
The emerald cascader or iridescent stream glider is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries.
Neoneura amelia, commonly known as Amelia's threadtail, is a species of damselfly in the family Protoneuridae. It is native to the southern United States and Central America, its range extending from the southern tip of Texas to Panama.
Ceriagrion olivaceum is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. it is commonly known as rusty marsh dart. This species can be found in south and southeast Asia.
Coenagrion ornatum, or, the ornate bluet, is a species of damselfly from the family Coenagrionidae distributed across a large part of Europe and Western Asia.
Media related to Ceriagrion tenellum at Wikimedia Commons