General Description

By Nora Bryan

The damselflies in this large and successful family shimmer in shades of iridescent blues with dark markings. Females are usually less brightly coloured. These dainty insects are weak fliers and rest horizontally with wings folded over the abdomen. The pterostigma (wing spot) is diamond-shaped. These damselflies are usually found around streams, ponds or wet areas. In Alberta, most of the damselflies we find belong to species in this Family.

There are seven species of American Bluets (Enallagma spp.) that can be found in the Province. It is difficult to tell the difference between the seven species without a good key. They can be found well into summer in most places.

The Eurasian Bluets (Coenagrion spp.) are represented by three species in Alberta. The Forktails (Ischnura spp.) are another group of narrow-winged damselflies that are much less commonly observed than the bluets. There are a few other narrow-winged damselflies that a diligent bug watcher might discover.

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Recent Narrow-winged Damselfly Family Reports in Alberta

• There are no Narrow-winged Damselfly Family records in our online database at this time.

Narrow-winged Damselfly Family Hotspots in Alberta

• There are no Narrow-winged Damselfly Family records in our online database at this time.

Allied Species found in Alberta

• Broad-winged Damselfly Family  - Calopterygidae
• River Jewelwing  - Calopteryx aequabilis
• Spread-winged Damselfly Family  - Lestidae
• Spreadwings  - Lestes spp.
• Common Spreadwing  - Lestes disjunctus
• Spotted Spreadwing  - Lestes congener
• Emerald Spreadwing  - Lestes dryas
• Sweetflag Spreadwing  - Lestes forcipatus
• Lyre-tipped Spreadwing  - Lestes unguiculatus
• Western Red Damsel  - Amphiagrion abbreviatum
• Vivid Dancer  - Argia vivida
• American Bluets  - Enallagma spp.
• Boreal Bluet  - Enallagma boreale
• Northern Bluet  - Enallagma cyathigerum
• Marsh Bluet  - Enallagma ebrium
• Hagen's Bluet  - Enallagma hageni
• Tule Bluet  - Enallagma carunculatum
• River Bluet  - Enallagma anna
• Alkali Bluet  - Enallagma clausum
• Eurasian Bluets  - Coenagrion spp.
• Taiga Bluet  - Coenagrion resolutum
• Prairie Bluet  - Coenagrion angulatum
• Subarctic Bluet  - Coenagrion interrogatum
• Forktail Damselflies  - Ischnura spp.
• Pacific Forktail  - Ischnura cervula
• Plains Forktail  - Ischnura damula
• Western Forktail  - Ischnura perparva
• Eastern Forktail  - Ischnura verticalis
• Sedge Sprite  - Nehalennia irene
• Damselfly Larva  - Zygoptera