tule bluet
{{Short description|Species of damselfly}}
{{No footnotes|date=December 2019}}
{{speciesbox
| image = Enallagma carunculatum-Male-1.jpg
| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Enallagma carunculatum
| authority = Morse, 1895
}}
The tule bluet (Enallagma carunculatum) is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae found in North America, from northern Mexico to southern Canada.
Identification
The damselfly has a blue and black abdomen, usually with 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 bar.
Size
This bluet is {{convert|27|-|37|mm|abbr=on}} long.
Distribution
The tule bluet is found throughout North America from southern Canada to northern Mexico, excluding the southeastern United States.
Habitat
The following is the list of habitats of the tule bluet.
- rivers
- lakes
- ponds
- marshes
- bogs
They occur where there are bulrushes around.
Flight season
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
Reproduction
The male damselflies set up territories at choice breeding sites. After males and females have mated, the male stays attached to the female, as she oviposits in the stems of bulrushes. They are in their tandem position.
Conservation
The populations of the tule bluet are widespeard, abundant, and secure.
References
{{reflist}}
- [http://imnh.isu.edu/digitalatlas/bio/insects/drgnfly/coenfam/enca/encafr.htm Tule Bluet]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090623012932/http://www.greglasley.net/tulebluet.html Greg Lasley's North American Dragonflies and Damselflies]
- [http://www.njodes.com/Speciesaccts/damsels/blue-tule.asp Tule Bluet - Enallagma carunculatum]
- [http://bugguide.net/node/view/6466 Damselfly - Enallagma carunculatum - BugGuide.Net]
- Lam, E. (2004) Damselflies of the Northeast. Forest Hills, NY:Biodiversity Books. p. 65.
{{Commons category|position=left|Enallagma carunculatum}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q144043}}
Category:Odonata of North America
Category:Insects of the United States
Category:Fauna of the Eastern United States