DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF WEST VIRGINIA SPECIES PAGE
Hagen's Bluet is a long, thin damselfly that has more blue than black.
The amount of black on the abdomen varies considerably, however, and some
males have notably more black than is average for the species.
Look for eyespots that are fairly small, round to comma-shaped. In males,
abdominal segments 8-9 are entirely blue.
Females are similar to the males but do not have blue at the rear of
the abdomen. Also, females usually have green as their pale color, but sometimes
the pale color is tan or blue.
An unfortunate thing about this species is that it looks very similar
to Familiar Bluet, Enallgama civile.
The two species cannot be told apart by a casual look at the markings. For
certain ID, an expert examination with a hand lens is necessary.
Two or three other look-alike species are not found in West Virginia.
Two hints can help make a probable ID in West Virginia. If the
damselfly in question was found in the western half of the state it is probably
Familiar Bluet, since Hagen's Bluet has not been recorded from any county
in that half of the state. And if the damselfly in question was found in
the eastern counties in a Sphagnum bog, it is probably a Hagen's Bluet,
since Hagen's bluet has a preference for acidic water.
But for strict accuracy, it is probably best to label most sightings
or photographic records as Enallagma civile/hageni.
For the record, as of 2007 the counties reporting Enallagma hagni
were: Grant, Greenbrier, Monroe, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph,
Taylor, Tucker, and Webster.
The eyespots are not especially large. They are round to comma-shaped.
