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Variable damselfly
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
Binomial name
Coenagrion pulchellum (Vander Linden, 1825)

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.

Description

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. (This distinguishes it from the azure damselfly which has the U-shape but no line connecting it to the terminal band.)

• Male forms
• Male
  S9 virtually unmarked
• Male, shoulder stripe unbroken
• Male, shoulder stripe broken
• mating, with female blue form
• mating, with young adult female blue form

• Female forms
• immature female, blue form
• young adult female blue form
• adult female, dark form

Distribution

The variable damselfly occurs throughout Europe. Scattered and uncommon in mainland Britain but widespread and common in Ireland.

References

1. ^ Brooks, Steve (1997). Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland. British Wildlife Publishing. ISBN 0-9531399-0-5.
2. "Variable Damselfly". British Dragonfly Society. Retrieved 27 May 2011.

External links

• http://www.brocross.com/dfly/species/pulch.htm

• v
• t
• e

• Damselflies of Europe
• Coenagrionidae
• Insects described in 1825
• Coenagrionidae stubs