Species account

Almindelig Vandnymfe (Enallagma cyathigerum)    Charpentier (1840)
   Damvandnymfer (Coenagrionidae) [Guldsmede]    COBL    24785
Common Bluet (gb)   Agrion Enallagma (es)   Sjöflickslända (se)  
Synonyms (common):
Common Blue Damselfly (gb) Caballito del Diablo Azul (es)
Synonyms (scientific):
Agrion charpentieri Selys, 1840
Agrion pulchrum Hagen, 1840
Agrion brunnea Evans, 1845
Agrion deserti (Selys), 1871
Enallagma nigrothorax Le Roi, 1914
Enallagma ornatiformis Le Roi, 1914
Enallagma rotundatum Bartenev, 1929
Agrion antiquum Bartenev, 1956 (nec Pictet-Baraban & Hagen in Berendt, 1856)
Enallagma continentale Belyshev, 1956
Enallagma risi Schmidt, 1961
Enallagma strouhali St. Quentin, 1962
Enallagma mongolicum Benedek, 1968
Enallagma possompesi Heymer, 1968
Enallagma nigrolineatum Belyshev & Haritonov, 1975
Measurements:
To 29-36mm Ab 22-28mm Hw 15-21mm
Generations:
Flight period:
JFMAMJJASOND 
SE
EU
Identification:
Unique in Denmark by the broad shoulder stripe and no black lines on the side of the thorax.

Males have full colored S8 and S9, blue as a mature and beige as immature (teneral).
Similar species:
Life stages:
Mating takes place in the vegetation close to the water and lasts about 20 minutes. In tandem the female inserts the eggs into stems and leaves of water plants, while resting on floating plants. The female can submerge for longer periods, 1 hour, where the male then detaches and waits for her above the surface. The eggs hatch after 4-6 weeks, and the larvae live in-between fresh water plants or bottom-material and develop during 1-3 years. The imago-transformation takes place on plants in the water near the shore.
Distribution:
All of Europe except Sardinia; also Morocco and east through Siberia to Kamchatka. In Denmark seen throughout all regions including most islands.
Habitat:
Behavior:
At suitable locations it can be present in big numbers.
Host plants:
Tusindblad (Myriophyllum)
Vandaks (Potamogeton)
mm
and rotten plant material
Comment:
Dijkstra operates with a good species E. deserti restricted to NW Africa, but the world list of odonatacentral.org and other resources do not. He notes that others regard it a subspecies of cyathigerum. I'm leaving it here as a comment, though, since the subspecies concept among odonates is not well understood.
Common Bluet 434    (2 photos)
2020-08-11    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han




Common Bluet 657    (1 photos)
2022-05-14    Gjerrild (djursland), Denmark

Imago Han
Immature. The only damselfly present to day. The first.



Common Bluet 680    (1 photos)
2022-05-23    Kongelunden, Denmark

Imago Han
The bluest of the Bluets!



Common Bluet 724    (1 photos)
2022-06-05    Søholt Storskov (Maribo), Denmark

Imago Han
Strongly colored and fully mature individual.



Common Bluet 725    (1 photos)
2022-06-05    Søholt Storskov (Maribo), Denmark

Imago Han
With a lime colored female in the background and what looks like a Housefly (Musca domestica) to the right.



Common Bluet 727    (1 photos)
2022-06-05    Søholt Storskov (Maribo), Denmark

Imago Han
Teneral



Common Bluet 1186    (1 photos)
2022-06-16    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Young.



Common Bluet 906    (1 photos)
2022-07-05    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Teneral.



Common Bluet 1080    (1 photos)
2022-08-11    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Enghøj lake.
A fresh colorless animal.



Common Bluet 2360    (1 photos)
2023-09-15    Amager Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Svinget, Landskabelige Kanal.
Lacking toward the end. Only 5 males present today.



Common Bluet 2359    (1 photos)
2023-09-15    Amager Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Svinget, Landskabelige Kanal.
Lacking toward the end. Only 5 males present today.



Common Bluet 2801    (15 photos)
2024-06-21    Travbaneparken, Denmark

Imago Han
Plejehjemsdammen.
Seeking out nature is often a destressing recipe when the human world becomes too unhuman. I go there all the time. Find peace and balance and meaning with it all. But then once in a while, the illusion is shattered, and nature shows its true face. Each species preying on the other. The flow of life through the physical world follows the strict order of eat and be eaten.

Why this unfortunate bluet was chosen as prey for this male Common Bluetail (Ischnura elegans) [Stor Farvevandnymfe] I can't say. I just noticed a rare snappy movement low in front of me, and then saw the two interacting. The bluetail calmly and methodologically advanced changing its grip from the wing and the thorax to finally getting a good bite at the base of the abdomen. It's difficult to see the small jaws working in real life, so for a while I just saw the two motionless in the same position. But then suddenly it snapped! The abdomen was cut off from the rest of the bluet's body and it was doomed for certain. Bizarrely it kept moving its legs after having lost the rear part; as if it wanted nothing more than escaping, but the bluetail was still holding on to the wings, and it had nothing to do other than resigning and waiting for the Great Departure!



Common Bluet 3136    (1 photos)
2025-05-02    Amager Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Den landskabelige kanal - vest.
Almost fully colored. With prey.



Common Bluet 3135    (1 photos)
2025-05-02    Amager Fælled, Denmark

Imago Han
Den landskabelige kanal - vest.
Younger male in transition.



Common Bluet 502    (1 photos)
2021-06-08    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Hun
Can't see it can be anything else due to the very broad shoulder stripe and the general upperside markings on the abdomen, but the shape of the pronotum line looks unusual with the yellow triangle where the line should be.



Common Bluet 659    (1 photos)
2022-05-14    Gjerrild (djursland), Denmark

Imago Hun
Shelter ponds.



Common Bluet 658    (1 photos)
2022-05-14    Gjerrild (djursland), Denmark

Imago Hun
Immature.



Common Bluet 703    (1 photos)
2022-05-17    Amager Fælled, Denmark

Imago Hun




Common Bluet 726    (2 photos)
2022-06-05    Søholt Storskov (Maribo), Denmark

Imago Hun
With a blurred male and a fly.



Common Bluet 1196    (3 photos)
2022-06-21    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Hun
Enghøj sø. Teneral.
The combination of the head pattern with the pale line between the eyespots and the not so pointed tip to the sheath below S8 are good indications of this species.
Common Bluet and Common Bluetail were the two species flying today in good numbers, why I'm pretty sure it has to be one of the two species.

But since I haven't been able to find many photos of teneral animals in general, I'll call the id tentative for now.



Common Bluet 1182    (1 photos)
2022-07-17    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark

Imago Hun
Teneral.



Common Bluet 1562    (1 photos)
2023-06-07    Hästenäs Kyrkskog (Östergötland), Sweden

Imago Hun




Common Bluet 2043    (1 photos)
2023-07-27    Skær Sø (Egtved), Denmark

Imago Hun
At first glance I wanted this animal to be another bluet species, with the shoulder stripe being rather narrow with much dark below it. But apparently it is seen in females occasionally.

Aberrant
Common Bluet 2044    (1 photos)
2023-07-27    Skær Sø (Egtved), Denmark

Imago Hun




Common Bluet 2745    (1 photos)
2024-05-12    Nygårdsmark-søerne (Finderup), Denmark

Imago Hun
A rather classic female with the blue and black marking of S8 and the black torpedoes concealed under the wings. Eye shape and connection line between are also as they should be. The pale shoulder stripe is perhaps at the more narrow end of the spectrum, not much wider than the black line below it, what makes this part of the animal less obvious to judge from.



Common Bluet 2980    (2 photos)
2024-08-06    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map

Imago Hun
Bro-søen.
Mature female. Here with the spine visible below S8, which the other bluet species in Europe lack [Coenagrion]. With feces.



Common Bluet 2981    (2 photos)
2024-08-06    Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map

Imago Hun
Bro-søen. Blue form.
Mature female with strange beige patches in the blue parts - perhaps the result of illness/infection?



Common Bluet 718    (1 photos)
2022-06-05    Søholt Storskov (Maribo), Denmark

Imago Han & Hun




Common Bluet 2317    (1 photos)
2023-09-11    Iglemosen (Bornholm), Denmark

Imago Han & Hun
Mating wheel. I found 8 animals this day; all males except for this female.