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Enallagma cyathigerum

The male's face is blue striped with black. The top of the head is largely black with two large blue, tear-drop shaped postocular spots generally not confluent with the pale occipital bar. The middorsal carina of the pterothorax is generally blue, at least on the posterior half, surrounded by a black middorsal stripe approximately half as wide as the mesepisterna. The pale blue antehumeral stripe is slightly less than half the width of the middorsal and humeral stripe, narrowing posteriorly to half the width of the antehumeral stripe. The rest of the thorax is blue, fading ventrally to a pale white or cream color. The legs may be either blue or tan and have a black stripe on their outer femoral and inner tibial surfaces. The tarsi may be pale or dark. The abdomen is mostl y bright blue dorsally, fading laterally. The anterior half of segment 1 and posterior half of segment 2 is black dorsally. There is an apical black spot on the dorsal forth of segments 3-5. These spots often extend medially for half the length of the segment. There is a black dorsal stripe on segment 6 that may extend from 1/2 to 3/4 the segments length apically. The entire dorsum of segment 7 is black with only a pale apical and wider basal ring. Segments 8-9 are blue and segment 10 is black dorsally. The cerci are black and are no more than half the length of segment 10. The paraprocts are approximately twice the length of the cerci. The female may be blue, green or tan. The head is similar to the male, with the only notable differences being smaller postocular spots. The humeral stripe is seldom wider than the antehumeral stripe. The middle prothoracic lobe lacks distinct pits and the mesostigmal plates are generally subquadrate. The legs, especially the femora, are generally not a s heavily marked with black as in the male. The abdomen is similar to the male, but the dorsal black stripe on segment 2 extends the full-length of the segment, and is slightly expanded at about 3/4 its length apically. Segment 3-7 each have a broad black stripe that may either extend the full-length of the segment or diminish anteriorly to only a hairline. Each stripe is widened considerably near the apex of the segment. Segment 8 may vary from entirely black to entirely blue. Generally there is a dorsal black stripe that may be quadrate or triangulate in shape. Segments 9-10 each have a full-length black stripe dorsally.

Total length: 29-40 mm; abdomen: 23-32 mm; hindwing: 17-24 mm.

The restricted distribution of Northern Bluet within our region help to rule out many similar looking species. Boreal Bluet (E. boreale ) may be found along side it, but the former is stockier and the black abdominal markings are generally more squared off. Males of both Familiar (E. civile ) and Tule (E. carunculatum ) have tubercles distally on the cerci. Careful examination of female mesostigmal plates may be necessary to identify congenerics.

Commonly found in quiet waters such as canals, marshes, ponds, lakes and bogs, sometimes heavily vegetated.

Northern Bluet is a variable species that is truly Holarctic; it ranges throughout Europe and Asia to northern India and throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It is found from northern Mexico, Baja California, northward into Alaska. amd occurrs in every state west of the Rocky Mountains. It is only absent from the southeastern United States Confirmed records are lacking from Oklahoma and Texas, but it is common westward. Northern Bluet is generally not found around the typical acidic ponds and bogs that Boreal Bluet frequents, however one study found both species commonly at several fishless lakes in Michigan. Boreal Bluet may have a slightly later emergence, but there is considerab le overlap. A mark-recapture study of a California population of Northern Bluet found their average longevity to be 4.68 days, but another study found the average longevity to be substantially longer at 12.1 days.

Northern U.S. and Canada south to New Mexico and Baja; also Europe.

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