Coenagrion hylas

The Siberian Bluet is one of Europe's prettiest, rarest and most localized Coenagrion species. It is a large, dark, robust and heavy-looking damselfly. Outside its main range in Siberia, Coenagrion hylas only occurs at a handful of sites in Austria. Apart from the species' large size, its main distinguishing features include the large round postocular spots, the thick black lines which run along the sides of the abdomen, and the female's tri-coloured body (greenish yellow, black and blue). The species has a reputation for being a bit lethargic, but on the one warm and sunny day we managed to photograph it, we observed the same frantic sexual activity as other species display on such days.

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