Enallagma
boreale
(Boreal Bluet)
Description:
Naiad-This
is a small naiad ¾ to one inch (19 to 23 mm) long. It has the typical slender
shape of immature damselflies. They range in color from light to dark brown.
Adult-This
is a small damselfly 1 to 1 ¼ inches
(26 to 33 mm) long. The males are predominately blue on the sides of the thorax,
and the upper side of the abdomen. The lower abdominal appendages are longer
than the upper appendages. Females are greenish-yellow to brown. The upper side
of the abdomen is mostly black.
Range:
In North America this species
is found from Alaska east to Hudson Bay and south to Utah and northern California,
Missouri, and Connecticut. In Idaho it is found throughout the state.
Habitat:
This damselfly occurs
at lakes, ponds, and marshes, and streams with slow to moderate flow. It occurs
in a wide variety of habitats, from sagebrush desert to mountain lakes.
Adult Flight Season:
June 4 to August
27
Diet:
Naiad-Naiads
eat a wide variety of aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae,
and other aquatic fly larvae.
Adult-Adults
eat a wide variety of small soft-bodied flying insects, such as mosquitoes,
mayflies, flies and small moths. They will also pick small insects such as aphids
from plants.
Ecology:
This species is almost
identical to the Northern Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum), and even though these
two species share similar ranges in North America, they are almost never found
at the same body of water. The reasons for this separation are not known.
Reproduction:
The males set up territories
at choice breeding sites. After males and females mate, the female Boreal Bluet
oviposits in aquatic vegetation.
Conservation:
Populations
are widespread, abundant, and secure.
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Global Rank: | G5 |
State Rank: | S? |
References:
Corbet, P. S. 1999.
Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Cornell University Press, Ithaca,
New York, USA, 829pp.
Logan, E. R. 1967. The Odonata of Idaho. Unpublished M. S. thesis. University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA, 105 pp.
Needham, J. G. and M. J. Westfall. 1955. Dragonflies of North America. University of California Press, Berkely, California, USA, 615 pp.
Paulson, D. R. 1999. Dragonflies of Washington. Seattle Audubon Society, Seattle, Washington, USA, 32 pp.
Walker, E. M. and P. S. Corbet. 1975. The Odonata of Canada and Alaska, Vol. III. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 307 pp.