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| | Welcome to our newest member, Ye Olde Justin | |  | 
05-06-2011, 05:15 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lincoln
Posts: 4,826
| | | Common Blue Damselfly variation.
Hi! 
All points to the Common Blue male, but I can't find anything about a variation with black marks on S8.
The pronotum shape seems to vary on these, some like this one have a 'bump' on the outer lower corners or is that going to straighten out as it matures? I find the black area varies in shape and coverage at the sides of the pronotum too.
I bought two dragonfly books but neither address these two differences! As a result I went to bed very early, um late, this morning! 
Janet     
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05-06-2011, 06:03 PM
| | Wild Member | | Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Rownhams, Hampshire
Posts: 203
| | | Re: Common Blue Damselfly variation.
Interesting stuff, Janet
Immatures do sometimes have dark markings which disappear with increasing maturity (sorry - no pictures to show this)
However, here's another Common Blue male that's had a bad hair day.  |
05-06-2011, 07:06 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lincoln
Posts: 4,826
| | | Re: Common Blue Damselfly variation.
Hi Paul,
Yours looks like it has had some ink splashed on it! But, this is on the tail and it doesn't look like it would disappear. Have you seen any with markings on the blue tail segments other than the two dark spots?
I tried to look at the pics loaded on WAB earlier but the site wasn't responding, I've just looked through some pics and found one which is mature and has something similar but has a few black spots besides.. Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - Wildlife Photography
This one's an Azure! Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - Wildlife Photography
One from Messingham nature reserve, it has the same T2 shape and a hint of the pattern on S8.. Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - Wildlife Photography
Another similar one.. Common Blue Damselfly - Enallagma cyathigerum - Wildlife Photography
So it would appear they can have marks on T8 even when mature, it's surprising it's not mentioned in books. Someone new to damsels will be terribly confused. It's not mentioned in the Hammond book either.
One thing they all seem to have in common as well is the shape on T2, and the black shape on the pronotum. I find that interesting!
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