Crescent Bluet
(Coenagrion lunulatum)

The Crescent Bluet (Coenagrion lunulatum) is named after the black mark on the male's S2, which is in the shape of a half-moon crescent, although this mark is not always very recognizable in the field. More readily observable are the species' greenish tinge, the green underside of the eyes and of the abdomen, the absence of a connection between the postocular spots, and the colour of the abdomen, which - dorsally - is largely black and which, as a result, gives the insect a rather stocky look compared to most of its congeners. Coenagrion lunulatum is a predominantly North-Eastern species with only a few outposts in the West, notably in Ireland, France and the Netherlands.

For an overview of the Crescent Bluet's distribution in Europe, hover your mouse pointer over the map symbol .
With the authors' permission we have based this map on data published in Kalkman et al. (2010).
Legend: Red = Occurs, White = Doesn't occur; Purple = Extinct; Yellow = Vagrant.

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