Marsh Bluet

Marsh Bluet
Marsh Bluet
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Zygoptera
Family: Coenagrionidae
Genus: Enallagma
Species: Enallagma ebrium
Binomial name
Enallagma ebrium
(Hagen, 1861)

Enallagma ebrium is a damselfly species in the family Coenagrionidae. Its commonly known as the marsh bluet.

Contents

Description

  • Adult – Male marsh bluets have a blue thorax with a broad black stripe above and has two black shoulder stripes. Its slender abdomen is mostly blue with black marks along the top and with a black tip. The large eyes are dark blue-black with small, tear-shaped postocular spots. The thorax of the female is similar to the male only its tan or blue-green and black instead of blue and black. Its abdomen is mostly black above and tan or blue-green below. Its large eyes are brown and yellowish.
  • Naiad – The naiad is small about ¾ to 1 inch (16 to 20 mm) in length. It has the typical slender shape of an immature damselfly. The naiad is light to dark brown in color.

Habitat

Marsh bluets are usually found near lowland lakes, ponds, and marshes, and has a definite preference for alkaline waters.

Diet

  • Naiad – They eat a wide variety of aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, and other aquatic fly larvae.
  • Adult – Adult bluets eat a wide variety of small soft-bodied flying insects, such as mosquitoes, mayflies, flies and small moths. They sometimes pick small insects such as aphids from plants.

Size

Its a smaller species of bluets, with a size of 1 – 1 ½ inches in length.

Distribution

Habits

Marsh bluets perch occasionally on vegetation in the area with the wings together. Their flight pattern is slow. They dart in and out of emergent vegetation.

Flight season

The marsh bluet is active early June to early September.

Ecology

Marsh bluets are very common at alkaline marshes in mid-summer.

Reproduction

Males set up territories at choice breeding sites. After males and females mate, the female oviposits, or lays her eggs, either singly or in tandem with the male. They will descend as much as a foot under the water to oviposit in aquatic vegetation.

Similar species

The marsh bluet looks similar to the Hagen's Bluet and the Familiar Bluet.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Enallagma — Taxobox name = Enallagma image width = 250px image caption = Bluet ( Enallagma sp. ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Arthropoda classis = Insecta ordo = Odonata subordo = Zygoptera superfamilia = Coenagrionoidea familia = Coenagrionidae genus =… …   Wikipedia

  • Enallagma — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Demoiselle …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Enallagma — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Demoiselle. Enallagma …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Список стрекоз Канады — Камышовое коромысло Aeshna juncea распространено в Евразии и Северной Америке В данный список включены представители отряда Стрекозы ( …   Википедия

  • Enallagma annexum — Northern Bluet Male, Ottawa, Ontario Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia …   Wikipedia

  • List of endangered animal species — This is a list of endangered animal species according to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List. The list includes endangered species of the kingdom Animalia. NOTOC A* Acheilognathus elongatus * Acipenser Endangered * Acrocephalus… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”