Coenagrion hastulatum (Northern Damselfly/Spearhead Bluet)

I had two gaps in my UK collection that could be plugged, with a little luck, by a trip to Scotland. In 2017 I bit the bullet, stayed in the UK for June, and went with fingers crossed.

This, the so-called [by the BDS] Northern Damselfly, was my first target. It has very specific habitat of shallow-ish waters including sedges and horsetails and a very restricted distribution in the highlands of Scotland. My chosen hunting ground was around Loch Garten in the Cairngorms. As you see, we found it.

[I have a collection of comparison charts to help with the identification of the blue-striped damselflies.]

 

Id Notes

• both sexes – the underside of the eye is quite a bright green
• ♂ – the “spearhead” mark on S2 is notable but supposedly not entirely reliable
• ♂ – the flanks of S2 have a disconnected black dash forward of the spearhead
• ♀ – a greenish body overall; “bomb” markings on the dorsal side of the abdomen

male

female

tandem