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Photo#810210
Confusing damselflies - Enallagma exsulans - male - female

Confusing damselflies - Enallagma exsulans - Male Female
Camp Sabroske, Ottawa County, Ohio, USA
July 21, 2013
Using guides this only fits the Stream bluet ( Enallagma exsulans ) but their are two issues with this id. First, S9 should be the only segment completely blue and that is not true in this male. Secondly these damselflies were on a pond ( creeks on each side of pond approximately 1/4 mile away ). I need expert help. Thanks in advance.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

I have just the bluet for you
Turquoise Bluet, E. divagans, should solve both those issues.

 
Cliff thanks for the reply. T
Cliff thanks for the reply. The Turquoise bluet does answer the two issues but the female above is greenish in color and in my guides say the female abdomen is blue. Is this an immature coloration ?

 
Damsels are tough
One of the things I've learned is that female coloration can be very unreliable. This can be due to age or just natural variation. Sometimes you find female damsels that mimic the color and pattern of the males almost exactly.

On the other hand, maybe they are Stream Bluets, and the male is the one with atypical markings. It's possible that Stream Bluets will occasionally breed in still water - I'm not completely sure.

 
Changed my mind
It's a funny angle - I bet there is some black on S8 that isn't visible in the photo. Everything else about these bluets points to Stream - the male's narrow blue shoulder stripe, the green thorax on the female with the black shoulder stripe divided by brown. With streams on either end of the pond, maybe there is just enough current in the water for them to find acceptable breeding habitat. Or Stream Bluets are just not that picky.

 
Agree with Cliff.Tough, but
Agree with Cliff.
Tough, but I too have seen female Stream Bluets with a colouration and markings like this one.

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