The arroyo bluet (''Enallagma praevarum'') is a

damselfly Damselflies are flying insects of the suborder Zygoptera in the order Odonata. They are similar to dragonflies, which constitute the other odonatan suborder, Anisoptera, but are smaller and have slimmer bodies. Most species fold the wings alo ...

of the family

Coenagrionidae The insect family Coenagrionidae is placed in the order Odonata and the suborder Zygoptera. The Zygoptera are the damselflies, which although less known than the dragonflies, are no less common. More than 1,300 species are in this family, maki ...

, native to the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, south to southern

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. It is associated with slow-flowing streams or lake margins with emergent vegetation.

Anatomy and Morphology

Male

Males have blue eyes, accompanied by oval, raindrop shaped turquoise spots above each eye. Their abdomen is blue with large black rectangular spots lining the top, ending in an abdomen tip of the same color set. Enallagma praevarum-Male-3

Female

Females possess the same build as males, but can also be found in tan or lighter blue shades rather than turquoise. Their legs are a lighter brown color (as opposed to black), and the spots above their eyes are usually larger than their male counterparts.

Distribution and Habitat

Distribution

Arroyo Bluets occupy both the west coast of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban ...

and the region of sagebrush along the northeastern California border. The

elevations The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum � ...

at which the Arroyo bluet can be most commonly found are best described as intermediate. In northeastern California, the Arroyo Bluet has been recorded from sea level at elevations up to 4,600 feet or 1,400 meters. These damselflies are abundant in western

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, along with south

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, and statewide-spread throughout

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

Habitat

The habitat of the Arroyo Bluet typically consists of open regions with abundances of shrubs and trees. The climate of their habitat is typically arid. The Arroyo Bluet tends to inhabit areas in which there are bodies of water such as ponds and the backwaters of arroyos, washes, canyons, and rivers. Their habitat may be generally referred to as riparian thickets.

Behavior

The Arroyo Bluet exhibits behavior that is similar to other bluets. It forages in its habitat and in the opposite direction of where water is located such as in oak savannas and grasslands. The flight season of the Arroyo Bluet consists of the month of March until October. Males are often found near water where vegetation is abundant. Females are often found in mating pairs. Female pairs will

oviposit The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typica ...

within vegetation that is floating. They submerge themselves underwater to lay eggs while males guard above water.

References

External links

Enallagma praevarum
at AzOdes Coenagrionidae Odonata of North America Insects of Mexico Insects of the United States Fauna of the Southwestern United States Fauna of the Baja California Peninsula Fauna of California Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Insects described in 1861 Taxa named by Hermann August Hagen {{Coenagrionidae-stub