Variable damselfly

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.

Variable damselfly
Male, shoulder stripe just broken, UK
Female, dark form, Estonia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Suborder:	Zygoptera
Family:	Coenagrionidae
Genus:	Coenagrion
Species:	C. pulchellum
Binomial name
Coenagrion pulchellum (Vander Linden, 1825)

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.^[1] (This distinguishes it from the azure damselfly which has the U-shape but no line connecting it to the terminal band.)^[1]

• 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.^[2]