Variable damselfly | |
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Male, shoulder stripe just broken, UK | |
Female, dark form, Estonia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Odonata |
Suborder: | Zygoptera |
Family: | Coenagrionidae |
Genus: | Coenagrion |
Species: | C. pulchellum
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Binomial name | |
Coenagrion pulchellum (Vander Linden, 1825)
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The variable damselfly or variable bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) is a European damselfly. Despite its name, it is not the only blue damselfly prone to variable patterning.
Its behaviour is much like that of the azure damselfly; it usually stays close to vegetation. Immatures are often found in adjacent meadows or uncut grassy areas.
The male variable damselfly has a distinctive "wine glass" marking on the second segment of the abdomen. This is a black U-shaped mark with a black line joining the segment's narrow terminal black band.[1] (This distinguishes it from the azure damselfly which has the U-shape but no line connecting it to the terminal band.)[1]
The variable damselfly occurs throughout Europe. Scattered and uncommon in mainland Britain but widespread and common in Ireland.[2]