Norfolk Damselfly or Dark Bluet (Coenagrion armatum) 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 blue 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...

 of the family Coenagrionidae

Coenagrionidae

The insect family Coenagrionidae is found in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. There are more than 1100 species in this family, making it the largest damselfly family...

. This species acquired its common name

Common name

A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...

 from its discovery in 1903 and presence in a very restricted area of the Norfolk Broads. Records came from Sutton, Stalham and Hickling Broads.

Identification

At first glance, this damselfly may resemble a 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...

 or a Red-eyed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly

Red-eyed Damselfly Erythromma najas is a member of the damselfly family Coenagrionidae.-Appearance:The species is a small damselfly, long, predominantly black with iridescent blue markings. The male resembles blue-tailed damselflies but is distinguished by its large, spaced eyes that are a deep red...

 more than a typical Coenagrion species. Both sexes have a distinctive black abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

 with coloured segment

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,...

s at both the base and the tip.

Breeding

This damselfly was lost from its British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 sites due to natural succession from open water to dry reedbeds. On the continent, it breeds in ponds ditches and slow rivers.

Its breeding biology is poorly known. Eggs are laid in the stems and leaves of aquatic plants. The larva

Larva

A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

e live amongst aquatic plants and probably emerge after one year.

Behaviour

The flight period in Britain used to extend from late May to late July. Males perch on floating leaves. It is a strong-flying damselfly.

Status and distribution

It is found from northern

Northern Europe

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...

 and Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

 eastwards to Siberia

Siberia

Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...

 and Mongolia

Mongolia

Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

. It was believed to be lost in the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 in the 20th century but was rediscovered there in 1999.

Status in Britain

The species was formerly recorded as a breeding species in Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

, in Norfolk. It was last recorded in 1968. Since its main range is from the Baltic area

Baltic region

The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...

eastwards, the likelihood of recolonisation in Britain seems low.