About Ischnura pumilio (Charpentier, 1825)
The scarce blue-tailed damselfly, also called the small bluetail, has the scientific name Ischnura pumilio (Charpentier, 1825), and is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae. This species is found across most of Europe, with the exception of northern Europe. To the east, its range stretches from Asia Minor to Siberia; to the south, it extends as far as Morocco, the Azores, and Madeira. Typical adult males of this species have a black abdomen with a bright blue spot covering segments 8 and 9 of the tail. It is very similar in appearance to the closely related blue-tailed damselfly, Ischnura elegans, but in that species the blue tail spot is mostly located only on segment 8. Females of Ischnura pumilio change in body color as they mature. Immature females are bright orange, a stage known as the aurantiaca phase, and darken to a greenish-brown color when they reach full maturity.
