Coenagrion lunulatum (Crescent Bluet/Irish Damselfly)

After a coupe of failures looking for this species in the Auvergne, France, a friend in the Netherlands very kindly led me to a colony ending a lengthy agony. First France, then the Netherlands – how Irish is that?

I find this species a little curious (apart from being missing from Great Britain) in that the male DOES NOT have an interocular bar whereas the female DOES have an interocular bar. The male also has considerably more black on the dorsal side of the abdomen compared to our other Coenagrions.

Id Notes

• ♂ – crescent mark on S2 with separated side lines
• ♂ – S8&9 all blue (but with small paired dots dots on S8&9)
• ♂ – extensive black on S3-7
• ♂ – no interocular bar
• ♀ – has an interocular bar
• ♀ – green/brown
• ♀ – black dorsum but coloured anterior to S8

male

female