Common Bluetail Damselfly - Ischnura heterosticta

FAMILY COENAGRIONIDAE



Male, body length 34mm

Common Bluetail Damselflies are one of the most common damselflies found in Brisbane waters. They prefer slow-running or still waters. For the male, the head and thorax are black and blue, the abdomen is black in colour. There is the blue tip at the end of abdomen.


Female, body length 34mm

The female are the same size, with pale blue to grayish-green in colour. They usually rest on the plants either in the middle of ponds or at the water edges.



Because the females are in dull colours, when they rest on plants, they are hardly be seen.

The pictures in this page are mostly taken at Wishart along Bulimba Creek. The damselfly can be seen even in winter in Brisbane, in a sunny day.



The male damselfly is brightly blue in colour with black abdomen. Notice the thick black strip on its thorax back and the blue dots on the top of its eyes.



Quite a number of species of damselflies found in Brisbane are in blue colour and look similar. Our Australian Dragonfly Society President, Deniss Reeves, advised that we can tell it is a Common Bluetail Damselfly by less blue on its eyes, and with more back on its back. The other blue damselfly species, the Blue Riverdamsel has more blue on its back and the Eastern Billabongfly is smaller in size.



We found this damselflies become active in late winter, September in Brisbane.



When Common Bluetail Damselflies are at rest, they held their wings closely folded up vertically over their thorax.



Common Bluetail Damselflies mating in wheel position. Most details about damselfly reproduction please check this page.

Reference:
1. The Australian Dragonflies - CSIRO, Watson, Theisinger & Abbey,1991, p132.
2. A Field Guide to Dragonflies of South East Queensland - Ric Nattrass, 2006, p36.
3. The Complete Field Guide to Dragonflies of Australia - CSIRO, Günther Theischinger and John Hawking, 2006, p96.