Agrion porte-coupe (Enallagma cyathigerum)

• English name: Common Bluet
• German name: Gemeine Becherjungfer
• French name: Agrion porte-coupe
• Dutch name: Watersnuffel
• Swedish name: Sjöflickslända
• Norwegian name: Stor blåvannymfe
• Finnish name: Okatytönkorento
• Danish name: Almindelig vandnymfe
• Italian name: Azzurrina portacalice
• Czech name: šidélko kroužkované
• Slovenian name: Bleščeči zmotec
• Bulgarian name: Синьогръдо пъстриче

Agrion porte-coupe (Enallagma cyathigerum)

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, stubby-looking species, very common and widespread throughout Europe
Classification		• suborder: Zygoptera (damselflies); family: Coenagrionidae
Conservation status		• IUCN Red List Europe: Least Concern
Scientific name		• Enallagma cyathigerum (Charpentier, 1840)
Distribution		• click or tap the Map button above
Habitat		• any pond or lake, especially with acidic water
Dimensions		• typical body length: 29-36 mm; hindwing: 15-21 mm
Both sexes	Thorax	• the antehumeral stripe is very wide
		➤ there is no black line on the metapleural suture (cf. Erythromma lindenii)
Male	Abdomen	• in mature males the abdomen is deep blue; in immature males it is pale blue
		➤ S8 and S9 are blue, S10 is black, and the upper appendages are short
		• the small, rounded black mark on S2 resembles a mushroom
	Wings	• the pterostigma is uniformly dark grey
Female	Thorax	• the lower side of the thorax is either blue or green or, in some immature females, beige
	Abdomen	• the lower side of the abdomen is either blue or green or, in some immature females, beige
		➤ the abdomen has a vulvar spine underneath S8
	Wings	• the pterostigma is uniformly light grey
Photographs		• most of our photos below were made in central and northern Italy

Enallagma cyathigerum; thorax, male
Note: Such wide antehumeral stripes also occur in Erythromma lindenii but males of that species have a black line on the metapleural suture.

Enallagma cyathigerum (left) and Erythromma lindenii (right); S8-S10 and appendages, male
In Enallagma cyathigerum S8 and S9 are blue, S10 is black and the appendages are short
In Erythromma lindenii S8 is black, S9 and S10 are blue and the appendages are long

Enallagma cyathigerum; abdomen, female
Note: Female Ischnuras also have a vulvar spine, but it is absent in Coenagrion and Erythromma species.