Each month we will be highlighting a specific species which is particularly good to record during the month. For the month of July we have chosen the Small red-eyed damselfly. The first Small red-eyed damselflies were recorded for Cambridgeshire  in the summer of 2004. Since then they have increased in numbers, as well as spreading further north and west. They look very similar to the larger and more robust Red-eyed damselfly, whose red eyes are a slightly darker shade.The thorax of both sexes is bronze black on top with a dark abdomen which has a blue tip in the male and thin green or blue ante-humeral lines in females. Only the males have the characteristic brownish red eyes. The fact that they favour lakes, ponds and gravel pits with a lot of floating vegetation, such as hornwort, water milfoil and waterweed is probably the reason for their success in spreading throughout Britain.

 

The Small red-eyed damselflies mate on floating plants or on the margins of the water body they have chosen for breeding. While in tandem they lay their eggs into the stems and plants of floating plants. After the larvae have hatched they live among pondweed for about a year before emerging as adults.

 

Because the Small red-eyed damselfly is a relatively new species for Cambridgeshire all records are exciting news for us. So keep an eye out for them in the next few months. For more information on these striking and delicate insects, or should you spot one don’t forget to record it by clicking on Small red-eyed damselfly.