Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) | Species | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 (1/400th sec at f11. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)  (1/640th sec at f11. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings)  (1/400th sec at f13. Click image for larger version. © David Hastings) DescriptionWing span: 30 - 42 mm; body length: 25 - 35 mm A very small damselfly, about 15% smaller than the Large Red Damselfly. This species is easy to identify as the male has an all-red abdomen, reddish legs and pterostigma, and no postocular spots. There are three female colour forms. The most common has a bronze-black abdomen, apart from S1-3 and S9-10 which are mostly red. This species has a very restricted distribution in Britain, being found only in the south and south-west of England, and west Wales. It prefers shallow, relatively warm acidic waters, occuring mainly at pools, seepages and small streams. These are usually associated with heathland bogs. Eggs are laid in submerged vegetation, hatching after about a month. They develop over two years. The flight period is July and August. Adults fly low and weakly, rarely moving far from breeding sites. They can be very inconspicuous. A nationally scarce species. Sightings
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