Stor blåvannymfe (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
Stor blåvannymfe
(Enallagma cyathigerum)
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) | |
| Name genus | • Enallagma: from Grk. ἐνάλλαγμα = (risk of) confusion ⇒ originally intended as a genus to subsume all (potentially confusing) Bluet species | |
| Name species | • cyathigerum: from Grk. κύαθος = cup, beaker +; Lat. -ger, -gera, -gerum = -bearing ⇒ for the cup-shaped mark on the male's S2 | |
| 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 that species has a black line on the metapleural suture.
Enallagma cyathigerum (left) and Erythromma lindenii (right); S8-S10 and appendages, male
Note: 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.
