Skimming Bluet

enallagma geminatum

The Skimming Bluet (Enallagma geminatum) is a delicate and fascinating damselfly known for its incredibly low flight patterns over calm waters. Unlike many of its bright blue relatives, this species displays an unusually dark, mostly black abdomen, which makes its bright blue tail segments pop vibrantly against the water. These agile insects are tiny, energetic predators that spend the majority of their lives underwater as fiercely carnivorous nymphs before emerging for a brief, glorious adult stage. Watching a Skimming Bluet is a test of observation; they hover just millimeters above the water's surface, weaving expertly between lily pads and floating debris. They are an essential part of wetland ecosystems, helping to control mosquito and gnat populations while providing a food source for larger insects, fish, and birds. Their presence is an excellent indicator of a healthy, thriving aquatic habitat.

Lebensraum: Typically found around calm, slow-moving or stagnant waters such as ponds, lakes, and marshes, particularly those with abundant floating vegetation like water lilies.

Aussehen

The Skimming Bluet is a very small damselfly, typically measuring under 3 centimeters long. Adult males are distinguished by a predominantly black abdomen with striking, vivid blue rings and patches, particularly on segments 8 and 9 near the tip of the tail. Their thorax is striped with pale blue and black. Females are thicker-bodied and polymorphic, presenting in duller shades of tan, olive green, or pale blue, which helps camouflage them from predators. Like all damselflies, their large compound eyes are widely separated on the sides of their head, and at rest, they hold their clear, delicately veined wings folded together above their back.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungOdonataFamilieCoenagrionidaeGattungEnallagma

Skimming Bluet

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

After mating, the male often remains attached to the female while she lays eggs underwater, acting as a 'guard' to prevent rival males from swooping in and mating with her.

During mating, the male uses claspers at the end of his tail to grab the female behind her head, forming a heart-shaped 'mating wheel' as they fly together.

They get their name from their signature flight style: they hover and fly so close to the water that they appear to be 'skimming' directly on the surface tension.

Unlike most of their bright-blue relatives in the 'bluet' genus, male Skimming Bluets have mostly black abdomens, making them visually unique among their peers.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

They possess an incredible ability to fly just millimeters above the water's surface without getting trapped by surface tension, allowing them to hunt and mate in a unique micro-habitat.

During their nymph stage, they breathe underwater using three leaf-like gills located at the end of their abdomen, which double as paddles for swimming.

Their large, widely spaced compound eyes grant them a near 360-degree field of vision, making them incredibly effective at spotting tiny prey and evading predators.

Maße und Details

Länge: 2 cm
Flügelspannweite: 2-3 cm
Gewicht: 0.00002-0.00005 kg
Lebenserwartung: 0-1 Jahre
Top Speed: 10 km/h
Gelegegröße: 100-400
Brutzeit: 7-21 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Both nymphs and adults are voracious predators, with adults snatching small flying insects from the air and nymphs ambushing small aquatic invertebrates.

Altersunterschiede: Nymphs are strictly aquatic predators feeding on zooplankton and small insect larvae; adults transition to an aerial diet, targeting tiny flying insects.

Hauptnahrung

Mosquitoes
Midges
Gnats
Small flies
Water fleas (nymphs)

Nahrungssuche

Aerial Pursuit And Gleaning

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

host plant

American White Waterlily

Nymphaea odorata

Provides essential resting spots and egg-laying substrate for the damselfly.

eaten by

Eastern Pondhawk

Erythemis simplicicollis

Larger dragonfly species that frequently preys on smaller damselflies, including bluets.

hunts

Common Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles quadrimaculatus

A primary prey source for adult Skimming Bluets hunting over the water.

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Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Skimming Bluet?

Der einfachste Weg, Skimming Bluet zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Skimming Bluet?

2 cm

Was ist der/die/das flügelspannweite von Skimming Bluet?

2-3 cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Skimming Bluet?

0.00002-0.00005 kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Skimming Bluet?

0-1 Jahre

Was ist der/die/das top Speed von Skimming Bluet?

10 km/h

Was frisst Skimming Bluet?

Both nymphs and adults are voracious predators, with adults snatching small flying insects from the air and nymphs ambushing small aquatic invertebrates.

Wo findet man Skimming Bluet normalerweise?

Typically found around calm, slow-moving or stagnant waters such as ponds, lakes, and marshes, particularly those with abundant floating vegetation like water lilies.