Dainty damselfly

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The dainty damselfly, or dainty bluet, is a small blue damselfly in the Coenagrionidae family. It is a scarce species found mainly in southern Europe, northern Africa, southwest Asia, and Central America.

Size and appearance:
- They grow to about 30–33 mm long.
- Hind wings are about 15–20 mm.
- Males are blue with black markings on certain segments; females are mostly black toward the rear with some blue markings. This makes them easy to tell apart.

Habitat:
- They like large, mostly still ponds with plenty of plants like water-milfoil and hornwort.
- Flooded ditches and constructed wetlands are also important, because these spaces often have few fish to eat damselflies.

When to see them:
- Dainty damselflies are most visible in June and July. Males often perch on floating vegetation in open water.

Movement:
- They are small but can travel between ponds if needed. This helps them recolonize areas after disappearances, like Britain’s past decline and later comeback in 2010.

Reproduction:
- They have a unique mating process. After mating, the male transfers sperm from his testes to his penis, and the female retrieves it. This sperm transfer can happen up to six times during a single copulation.
- After fertilization, the female lays eggs. The male often stays attached to the female to block other males, though removing sperm is harder in this species.

Life cycle and populations:
- In core and new populations, they tend to have one generation per year.
- Each pond typically hosts its own mini-population.

Range and movement:
- They are found mainly in western Europe, northwest Africa, western Caspian and south Caucasus regions, and parts of Eastern Europe. There may be another population in central Asia, but it’s not clear if it’s the same species.
- Climate change and changing habitats help them move to new areas, expanding their range northward, eastward, and westward.

Genetics and threats:
- New edge populations often have different genetics from the core populations.
- Genetic diversity matters: lower diversity can make them more vulnerable to stress and toxins like pesticides.
- Dainty damselflies face challenges as they move across agricultural lands and other changing habitats.

Conservation status:
- The IUCN lists the dainty damselfly as Least Concern, with a stable overall population.