Ischnura genei

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Island Bluetail damselfly

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Odonata
Family:	Coenagrionidae
Genus:	Ischnura
Species:	I. genei

Binomial name

Ischnura genei
(Rambur, 1842)

Ischnura genei, the "Island Bluetail" is a species of damselfly that replaces the "Common Bluetail" on some Mediterranean Islands (e.g., Corsica and Sardinia, where the two species are not known to coexist). It is found on a total of four islands. It is a small and slender damselfly that tends to be smaller and daintier than the Common Bluetail. Its main distinguishing features include the black abdomen, which in males carries a striking blue tail-light on S8. Some female colour forms, too, have a blue tail-light on S8, but it tends to be interrupted by a black mark on either end. In some other female colour forms S8 is rusty brown. The male's pterostigma is bi-coloured (as it is in Ischnura elegans). In Malta this species is still frequent and breeds, but it is endangered by habitat loss.