Coenagrion caerulescens
• English name: Mediterranean Bluet
• German name: Südliche Azurjungfer
• French name: Agrion bleuissant
• Dutch name: Zuidelijke waterjuffer
• Swedish name: N/A
• Norwegian name: N/A
• Finnish name: N/A
• Danish name: N/A
• Italian name: Azzurrina mediterranea
• Czech name: N/A
• Slovenian name: Zahodni škratec
• Bulgarian name: N/A
Coenagrion caerulescens
Not present
Present before 1990
Present after 1990
Present before and after 1990
Present after 2015
Map data based on J.-P. Boudot & V. J. Kalkman (eds.),
Atlas of the European Dragonflies and Damselflies
| General | • a small species which occurs mainly in Spain, the south of France and in Italy | |
| Classification | • suborder: Zygoptera (damselflies); family: Coenagrionidae | |
| Conservation status | • IUCN Red List Europe: Near Threatened | |
| Scientific name | • Coenagrion caerulescens (Fonscolombe, 1838) | |
| Name genus | • Coenagrion: from Grk. κοινός = common, widespread +; ἄγριος = wild, living in the fields | |
| Name species | • caerulescens: from Lat. caerulescere, pres. part. caerulescens = becoming blue, somewhat blue ⇒ for the paler blue colour in this species compared to e.g. C. pulchellum | |
| Distribution | • click or tap the Map button above | |
| Habitat | • well-vegetated streams and ditches | |
| Dimensions | • typical body length: 30-33 mm; hindwing: 14-21 mm | |
| Both sexes | Thorax | ➤ the antehumeral stripe is very wide |
| • compared to the similar C. scitulum the black line on the interpleural suture tends to be much thinner, shorter and less clearly visible | ||
| Wings | • the pterostigma looks triangular and is uniformly pale golden brown | |
| Male | Abdomen | • the black mark on S2 resembles a chalice |
| ➤ for a comparison of the male's appendages with those of C. mercuriale and C. scitulum, click or tap here | ||
| Female | Thorax | • the hind margin of the pronotum has a deep incision in the middle; see also the LineDrawing below |
| Abdomen | ➤ in mature females S10 is mostly light blue; in immature females it is mostly beige | |
| Photographs | • nearly all of our photos below were made in Tuscany |
LineDrawing: the male's and the female's abdomen in dorsal view, and the female's pronotum in dorsal and lateral view.
