Coenagrion mercuriale (Southern Damselfly)

The smallest blue damselfly in the UK and one of the rarest. We spotted our UK specimens in the New Forest but it has outposts in Devon and the Gower peninsula. We’ve also seen them near Le Loir and at the Peau de Meau, both in France.

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

Id Notes

• black Coenagrion “spur” on side of thorax
• ♂ – S2 displays a black shape supposedly resembling Mercury’s winged helmet
• ♂ – S3-6 usually ~half black dorsally
• lozenge-shaped pterostigma with darker centre. [Sounds like a chocolate :D]
• ♀ – occurs in green and blue forms (see tandem pairs below)

male

female

in tandem		in cop