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Species account
Common Bluetail
(Ischnura elegans)
Vander Linden (1820)
Red Damsels and Bluets (Coenagrionidae)
COBL
24794
Stor Farvevandnymfe (dk)
Agrion Elegante (es)
Större Kustflickslända (se)
Synonyms: Blue-tailed Damselfly (gb) Common Bluetip (gb)
Measurements:
To 30-34mm Ab 22-29mm Hw 14-21mm
Generations:
2-3 generations in southern Europe; 1 in Denmark and rest of northern Europe.
Flight period:
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| SE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EU | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
Females (5 forms):
Violacea (young) -> typica or infuscans (mature)
Rufescens (young) -> rufescens-obsoleta (mature)
Violacea (young) -> typica or infuscans (mature)
Rufescens (young) -> rufescens-obsoleta (mature)
Similar species:
Life stages:
Mating takes place in shore vegetation and lasts from 2-6 hours! The lone female inserts the eggs into stems of various water plants, at or above the surface. Dead plant material is used too. The eggs hatch after 2-4 weeks and the larvae live in-between water plants and develop during 1-2 years in northern Europe, but in same season or 1 year in southern Europe. The imago-transformation takes place on vegetation near or in the water.
Distribution:
Most of Europe; absent Portugal, SW Spain, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily and northern Fennoscandinavia. Also present Turkey and scattered through Russia, Caucasus and the central Asian republics to Korean peninsula and Japan.
Habitat:
Behavior:
Preys on items its own size or bigger, as I've seen it attack and eat (partly) a Common Bluet [Almindelig Vandnymfe].
Status:
LC(global)
LC(eu) LC(dk). In Denmark widespread and increasing.
Host plants:
Vandaks (Potamogeton)
Vandpest (Elodea)
Tusindblad (Myriophyllum)
Strandkogleaks (Scirpus maritimus)
Siv (Juncus sp.)
Kogleaks (Scirpus sp.)
Vandpest (Elodea)
Tusindblad (Myriophyllum)
Strandkogleaks (Scirpus maritimus)
Siv (Juncus sp.)
Kogleaks (Scirpus sp.)
Comment:
Dijkstra and Schröter mentions the green males as immature. But I have photos of mating males that are green, why it is probably wrong to combine color and maturity when describing the species.
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1181
(2 photos)
2022-06-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Mating wheel. |
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1180
(1 photos)
2022-06-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Tandem. |
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1060
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Sydmølletværvej. Female of form: Typica Mating. |
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1079
(1 photos)
2022-08-11 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Enghøj lake. Mating wheel. Female form: Typica. They are at it right now. Good numbers in suited habitats. |
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1129
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Younger female of form: Violacea. |
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1128
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Mating wheel. Female of form: infuscans. If only seeing the color of the female, I would have thought it to be a male, with the exact same coloration. |
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1125
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Mating wheel. Female of form Rufescens. |
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1124
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂♀ Mating wheel. Female of form Infuscans. |
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661
(2 photos)
2022-05-16 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Hejresøen. Immature. |
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1185
(1 photos)
2022-06-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Young. |
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1184
(1 photos)
2022-06-04 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ |
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1183
(1 photos)
2022-06-21 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Teneral. |
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1054
(2 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Sydmølletværvej. The well-defined two-colored wingmark is an indication of a male. Many animals present. |
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1063
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Sydmølletværvej. The short spike on the back of the neck is typical of the male of this species. |
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1126
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ |
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1708
(1 photos)
2023-06-29 Vinkelhuse (tårnby), Denmark Imago ♂ I guess one of the most unexpected experiences with dragonflies, that I've had. Found this in the living room window, and I have absolutely no idea where it came from. We don't live near any suited localities, why it must have been straying. I released it at a small pond in Travbaneparken, a good kilometer away, where I've seen the species. Vinkelhuse |
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2121
(2 photos)
2023-08-03 Hovedgård, Denmark Imago ♂ Fruens Have-vandhullet. With wiped-out blue on top of S8. I don't think I've seen this before. Aberrant |
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2379
(1 photos)
2023-09-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago ♂ Det lille Regnvandsbassin. One of two males present today. Hopefully connecting with female 2378. |
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2814
(1 photos)
2024-05-27 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♂ Sydmøllevej. Young. Besides the color, a male because of the protruding center block on the pronotum. The wing marks will eventually become clearer two-colored. |
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2800
(15 photos)
2024-06-21 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago ♂ 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 to resign and wait for the Great Departure! |
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1064
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Female of form: Rufescens |
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1055
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Form: Violacea. |
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1056
(2 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Forms: Typica (the upper animal), Rufescens (lower animal) Both are female because of the parallel running appendages. |
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1057
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Form: Rufescens |
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1058
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Form: Violacea. |
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1059
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Form: Rufescens |
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1061
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Female of form: Rufescens |
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1062
(1 photos)
2022-08-06 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmølletværvej. Form: Violacea. |
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1131
(2 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Form: Rufescens? It is a female, the ovipositor just showing in photo 2. But is it then a teneral rufescens and not a rufescens-obseleta because it shows signal marking on top of S8? |
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1130
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Form: Violacea. A pale female compared to others. |
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1127
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Form: Violacea. |
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1123
(1 photos)
2022-08-17 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Form Rufescens-Obsoleta. I assume it is this form, with brownish pale thorax and no signal markings on S8-9. My first. I also expect some variation in amount of signal color. At least comparing with the one in Nordens Trollsländor, mine shows more than the one depicted in the book. |
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2378
(3 photos)
2023-09-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago ♀ Det lille Regnvandsbassin. Form: Rufescens-Obsoleta. My first female at these ponds, and in general of this form as well (the only one without obvious signal light on S8). |
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2815
(1 photos)
2024-05-27 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmøllevej. Young form rufescens in transition to mature form rufscens-obsoleta. The thorax will eventually become even more dusty green. |
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2816
(1 photos)
2024-05-27 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Sydmøllevej. Mature female of form infuscans. The thorax will eventually become even more dusty green. |
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2958
(3 photos)
2024-08-01 Kalvebod Fælled, Denmark Imago ♀ Barbarus-vandhullet ved Birkedammen. Young or unusual form of rufescens? Normally the young rufescens shows a pinkish color cast to the orange on the thorax, but this one looks purer orange to me, resembling the young pumilio [Lille Farvevandnymfe] female, form aurantica, why I at first took it as a such. But eye-pattern and the color on top of S8 are proof that this is an elegans, as is the dark shoulder stripe below the orange shoulder stripe that is broader than on a similar pumilio. I don't recall having seen a similar animal elsewhere. |