The Black Lochs contain an important colony of the Variable damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum, a species which is rare and vulnerable in the UK north of Wales. Its similarity to the more widespread Azure damselfly often leads to confusion over identifications, and an expert opinion is needed to confirm its presence at unrecorded sites. The “Variable” lives up to its name and the markings on both thorax and abdomen can sometimes be difficult to interpret. The situation is not helped when both species occur at the same site!
Despite the poor weather on Saturday we were fortunate to record several Variable Damselflies, and from the photo taken above the main ID features are shown. The ‘Coenagrion spur’ on the thorax can clearly be seen and the three lobed rear edge on the pronotum was there but not too easy to see on this photograph, but obviously different to the ‘Azure’.
Regards, Richard