Small Bluetail
(Ischnura pumilio)

The Small Bluetail is a widespread species which occurs throughout Europe but is largely absent from Scandinavia and Greece. Unlike its commoner stable mate the Common Bluetail, it tends to occur in low numbers. Ischnura pumilio is a fair bit smaller than Ischnura elegans. Its main distinguishing features include the black abdomen which in males carries a striking blue tail-light on S9 and part of S8. The female has no such tail-light, blue or otherwise. The male's pterostigma in the forewing is bi-coloured and considerably larger that in the hind wing. The female, up to the age of about 10 days, is a strikingly pretty orange colour which later changes into a grassy green.

For an overview of the Small Bluetail'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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