Ischnura genei, the Island Bluetail Damselfly, is a species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of damselfly

Damselfly

Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...

 that replaces the Blue-tailed Damselfly

Blue-tailed Damselfly

The Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans, is a European damselfly.Adult male Blue-tailed Damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next...

 on some Mediterranean Islands (e.g., Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

 and Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

, where the two species are not known to coexist) - it is found on four islands. It is a small and slender damselfly that tends to be smaller and daintier than the Common Bluetail. Its main distinguishing features include a black abdomen, which in males carries a striking blue tail-light on S8

Segmentation (biology)

Segmentation in biology refers to either a type of gastrointestinal motility or the division of some animal and plant body plans into a series of repetitive segments. This article will focus on the segmentation of animal body plans, specifically using the examples of the phyla Arthropoda,...

. Some female colour forms, too, have a blue tail-light on S8, but it tends to be interrupted by a black mark on either end. In some other female colour forms S8 is rusty brown. The male's pterostigma

Pterostigma

The pterostigma is a cell in the outer wing of insects which is often thickened or coloured and so stands out from other cells. It is particularly noticeable in dragonflies, but present also in other insect groups, such as snakeflies, hymenopterans and megalopterans.The purpose of the pterostigma,...

 is bi-coloured (as it is in Ischnura elegans

Blue-tailed Damselfly

The Blue-tailed Damselfly, Ischnura elegans, is a European damselfly.Adult male Blue-tailed Damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next...

). In Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

, this species is still frequent and breeds, but it is endangered by habitat loss.

Sources

• Sciberras A, Sciberras J & Magro D. (2007) "A Celebration of Dragonflies." The Malta Independent. November 19th pgs.8-9.