Ischnura graellsii

The Iberian Bluetail largely replaces the Common Bluetail in Iberia, although the two species do coexist and hybridisation is known to occur. Our photographs of Ischnura graellsii were all made in Central and Southern Spain. It's a small and slender damselfly which tends to be a bit smaller and daintier than the Common Bluetail. More important - for identification purposes - is the differently-shaped pronotum in the male, which in I. graellsii lacks an upright front edge. Other distinguishing features include the black abdomen, which in males carries a striking blue tail-light on S8. Some female colour forms too have a blue tail-light on S8 but it tends to be interrupted by a black mark on either end. In some other female colour forms S8 is rusty brown. The male's pterostigma is bi-coloured (as it is in Ischnura elegans). Some of the female colour forms are illustrated in our photographs below.

For an overview of the Iberian 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).

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