Enallagma ebrium (Hagen, 1861)
Marsh Bluet
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
Virginia State Rank: S1
VA DGIF Tier: IV
Federal Legal Status: None
Virginia Legal Status: None
Description: The Marsh Bluet has a thorax with blue and black stripes. The abdomen is blue, ringed with black. Its size is 25-34mm (1-1.3 inches).
Similar species: Nearly identical in the field to Hagen's Bluet (E. hageni) and Northern Bluet (E. annexum). The Marsh Bluet can only reliably be identified with magnification such as a hand lens or microscope by examining the terminal appendages. See illustrations in Lam (2004) or Paulson (2011). It is also similar in the field to several other bluets.
North American Range: All across the northern United States and southern Canada. The Virginia record from Highland County is disjunct from its more northern range.
VA Observations by Locality: Highland | Highland
Flight season and broods: The only record for the Marsh Bluet in Virginia is 11 August. Flight dates in New Jersey range from 30 May to 23 July.
Aquatic Habitat: The Marsh Bluet is found in marshy ponds, lakes, and slow streams.
Behavior and Ecology: Female Marsh Bluets may descend below water surface to oviposit.
Population trend and potential threats: A common species in its primary range, but rare further south.
Management practices: Boreal habitat in its Virginia location should be protected.
References: Lam, Ed. 2004. Damselflies of the Northeast. Biodiversity Books. Forest Hills, New York. 96 pp.
Paulson, Dennis. 2011. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Princeton University Press. Princeton and Oxford. 538 pp.
Roble, Steven M. 1994. A preliminary checklist of the Damselflies of Virginia, with Notes on Distribution and Seasonality. Banisteria 4: 3 - 23.
Roble, Steven M. 2011. Damselflies of Virginia- Flight dates. Unpub.