Tule Bluet
Encyclopedia
Enallagma carunculatum is a species 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...

 in 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...

. It's commonly known as the tule bluet.

Identification

The damselfly has a blue and 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...

, usually has more black than blue. The black humeral stripes are about a half the width of the blue antehumerals. The tule bluet postocular spots are small and triangular, they are separated by a thin occipital
Occipital
The word occipital, in zoology, pertains to the occiput .Occipital is a descriptor for several areas of animal & human anatomy.*External occipital protuberance* Internal occipital crest* Greater occipital nerve...

 bar.

Distribution

The tule bluet is found throughout the United States, except for the southeastern quarter and many portions of southern Canada.

Habitat

The following is the list of habitats of the tule bluet.
  • rivers
  • lakes
  • ponds
  • marshes
  • bogs

They occur where there are bulrushes
Schoenoplectus
Schoenoplectus is a genus of about 80 species of sedges with a cosmopolitan distribution. Note that the name bulrush is also applied to species in the unrelated genus Typha...

 around.

Flight season

You can find this species flying during mid May to mid September. It can also be during early July to mid October.

Diet

  • Nymphs- Nymphs eat a large variety of aquatic insects, they include mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, and other aquatic insect larvae.
  • Adults- Adult tule bluet feed on a wide variety small flying insects, mayflies, flies, small moths, and mosquitoes. They sometimes pick up small insects from plants like aphids.

Ecology

The tule bluet is found almost always where there are extensive stands of tules. This is how this bluet gets its common name. The damslfly will emerge from relatively deep water as long if there are bulrushes nearby. The tule bluet can be also found in alkaline or salty water.

Reproduction

The male damselflies set up territories at choice breeding sites. After males and females are done mating, the male stays attached to the female, as she oviposits in the stems of bulrushes. They are in their tandem
Tandem
Tandem is an arrangement where a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction....

position.
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