Species account

Small Bluetail (Ischnura pumilio) (Charpentier, 1825)
Pond Damselflies (Coenagrionidae) [Dragonflies] SMBL 24793

Lille Farvevandnymfe (dk) Agrion Menor (es) Mindra Kustflickslända (se)

Synonyms (common):

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (gb) Small Bluetip (gb)

Synonyms (scientific):

Agrion xanthopterum Stephens, 1835
Agrion aurantiaca Selys, 1837
Agrion rubellum Curtis, 1838 (nec Vander Linden, 1820)
Agrion cognata Selys, 1840
Agrion stephanella Roster, 1885
Ischnura immaculata Zacwilichowski, 1928
Ischnura ornata Zacwilichowski, 1928
Ischnura punctata Zacwilichowski, 1928
Ischnura striata Zacwilichowski, 1928

Measurements:

To 26-31mm Ab 22-25mm Hw 14-18mm

Generations:

2-3 generations in southern Europe; perhaps more than one in Netherlands too. In Denmark just one.

Flight period:

EU n

EU s

Identification:

Similar species:

Life stages:

The animals mature quickly, in one week, and then mate [for how long?], while the female then lays the eggs on her own; into plant material above or below the water surface. The eggs hatch after 2-4 weeks, and the larvae live in-between water plants or bottom material and develop during 1-2 years; probably mostly 1 year. The Imago-transformation takes place on vegetation just above the water surface, and often the rear part of the animal is still touching the water.

Distribution:

Most of Europe; absent N and E British Isle; absent most of Fennoscandinavia with populations in S Sweden and Finland and a restricted population in Norway near Oslo. Also NW Africa and Turkey through the Middle East and former Soviet republics to China. In Denmark widespread in Jylland. Also good populations in NE Sjælland and Bornholm.

Habitat:

Behavior:

Host plants:

Liden Siv (Juncus bulbosus)
Glanskapslet Siv (Juncus articulatus)
dead plant material

Endemic:

Status

LC(global) LC(eu) LC(EU) LC(dk). First seen in Denmark in 1935, the species is well-established but being a pioneer species it fluctuates to some degree, disappearing and emerging with the changing numbers of suited breeding sites. On Amager only seen in small numbers, less than 10 per locality. Amager

Comment:

In southern Europe two or more generations can be found.

	507 (4 photos) 2021-07-04 Karlstrup Kalkgrav (Solrød), Denmark Imago Male The short diamond-shaped and two-colored wingmark plus the blue marking distally above on S8 are what identify it as this species. A somewhat rare species in Denmark, and even more so east of Storebælt. My first.
	1014 (1 photos) 2022-08-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male In the area close to Sydmøllehøj. I only got aware of the species when it showed up in this photo revising back home. Which is why I can't remember exactly where I saw it. But it was either below Sydmøllehøj or along the road or in the narrow channel on the south side of Sydmølletværvej. I revisited the same spots a few days later in hope to find more, and in the that channel I had, loosely counted, around 150 Common Bluetails in a stretch of about 30 meters. To say, that this smaller and very similar species probably has been overlooked on Amager for some time. I didn't find any in the channel this other day, but one below Sydmøllehøj, 1016, why it's reasonable to belief that this was where I had this animal too.
	1016 (4 photos) 2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmøllehøj. Young with pale colors. It was very windy today and the spot where I found it, was very wind exposed. Not to say that there will be many popping out of the reedbed without the wind, but it is certainly worth giving it a try one of the next days to see if more will show up. I had a different one two days earlier, 1014, why I suspect or hope that there might be an actual population present.
	1083 (2 photos) 2022-08-13 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmølletværvej. The blue marking on top of S8 is narrower than usual. Flying with Common Bluetail in an open low watered channel with short vegetation (sedges).
	1084 (2 photos) 2022-08-13 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmølletværvej. Greenish individual (not sure why the males don't get a form predicate, when the different colored females do). Flying with Common Bluetail in an open low watered channel with short vegetation (sedges).
	1085 (1 photos) 2022-08-13 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmølletværvej. Flying with Common Bluetail in an open low watered channel with short vegetation (sedges).
	1133 (4 photos) 2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmøllekanalen. A teneral lime-colored male. Beautiful!
	1135 (1 photos) 2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Sydmøllekanalen. Typical male. Red mite on top of head between the eyes.
	1717 (3 photos) 2023-07-09 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Plejehjemsdammen. 8 different odonatas today in this small pond, with this one being the biggest surprise. I've only had it on Vestamager on Amager, in the sydmøllevej area, making this small pond a little gem - also remembering that I had my only Black Darters seen on Amager at this spot. I only found this single animal of the species among the few Common Bluetails [Stor Farvevandnymfe]. Rare
	1775 (1 photos) 2023-07-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Plejehjemsdammen. Still present, and perhaps two. See 1717. Rare
	2294 (4 photos) 2023-09-01 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Small rain water basin. 3 different animals (1, 2, 3-4). Same as the day after where I had 7 males. 2293.
	2293 (7 photos) 2023-09-02 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Small rain water basin. 7 different animals. It's been almost two months since I found the first and only animal, a male, at this site. Today the photos revealed that 7 different males were present. No females yet, but hopefully the next week with hot weather from the south will result in some. The appearance at a place like this is classic for the species. Newly established ponds with low water level and open banks is what it prefers. Maybe it isn't possible to separate the 7 animals from these photos, but the large files show the differences especially in tail pattern.
	2393 (1 photos) 2023-09-05 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Det lille Regnvandsbassin.
	2301 (5 photos) 2023-09-07 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Small rain water basin. 5 different specimens and all seen today. Still no females. Number 5 on the assumption that it is another animal because it was staying on the opposite side of the pond than the others.
	2380 (1 photos) 2023-09-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Det lille Regnvandsbassin. Only found this one today. And being late in the season, I fear we have to accept that it is too late for any females to show up now. The Queen sends her condolences and wishes for a better season to come. I'm sure.
	2705 (2 photos) 2024-05-20 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Plejehjemsdammen.
	2934 (2 photos) 2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Barbarus-vandhullet. Might be the same male I've seen during several days, though I admit that I'm not scrutinizing all the elegans animals to find more pumilio, why there could have been more than the very few I've recorded. My main focus at this waterhole has been the Migrant Spreadwings (Lestes barbarus, hence the name choice for the water hole), that have showed up this season.
	3012 (1 photos) 2024-08-12 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Male Barbarus-vandhullet. Young.
	3014 (1 photos) 2024-08-12 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Male Barbarus-vandhullet. Young with pale wing marks.
	3039 (2 photos) 2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Male Barbarus-vandhullet. I took them as two different animals in the field, the two photos, though very close to each other. But looking at them now, I'm no longer sure if it isn't just the same.
	1086 (2 photos) 2022-08-13 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Sydmølletværvej. Immature (teneral). The incredible color of this animal is a phase of the young female called aurantica. Flying with Common Bluetail in an open drainage ditch with short vegetation (sedges).
	1136 (2 photos) 2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Sydmøllekanalen. Young female, aurantica.
	1134 (3 photos) 2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Sydmøllekanalen. Young individual, aurantica. Defecating in photo 1.
	2704 (2 photos) 2024-05-20 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Female Plejehjemsdammen. Young. Form aurantica. Still here!
	2810 (2 photos) 2024-05-26 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Female Plejehjemsdammen. Young. Form aurantica. I still haven't seen a transitional female going from orange to dark olive green, why I suspect it happens quite fast within few days. Or perhaps the young females I see at this spot are all new each time I go there. Later in June I experienced a n elegans eating a common bluet, why it could easily be that the smaller pumilio are especially vulnerable..? Finally a photo where the pin-pointed tip to the valvular scale can be seen.
	2933 (2 photos) 2024-07-31 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago Female Barbarus-vandhullet. Young aurantica. One of two seen here during these days. There have been some female elegans with a very similar orange color that I expect to be young animals of the rufescens form, based on some coloration on top of S8 and lack of the orange "vacuum-plastic" on the back of the eyes. [add reference]
	3015 (1 photos) 2024-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Female Barbarus-vandhullet. young, aurantica. 2 present today.
	3013 (1 photos) 2024-08-12 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Female Barbarus-vandhullet. young, aurantica.
	3031 (3 photos) 2024-08-19 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Map Imago Female Engsø. A nice encounter at this site. I've had it before, but it's very elusive -as it is in general on Amager. Only a few individuals do I manage to find at each site, and rarely old females. So much appreciated.
	3178 (2 photos) 2025-05-20 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Female Store regnvandsbassin. Pale aurantica. A single animal suddenly showed up today. It looked big, and having seen all- orange female elegans [Stor Farvevandnymfe] before, I was mostly in favor of that species on site. But the photos are detailed enough to eliminate any doubt: The orange form-shaped plastic-looking backside and top of the eyes and the shape of the pronotum and the lack of signal lights on S8 confirm that it is indeed a pumilio. I had my first at this same spot on exactly the same date last year.

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