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Nehalennia irene (Sedge Sprite)BC conservation rank: S5. Yellow List. Changed from S4 to S5 in 2000 after northern surveys found it in many localities.Description: The smallest and most delicate damselfly in BC. The abdomen is dark with a blue tip; the top of the thorax is metallic green. Length: male 26 mm, female 27 mm. Global Range: British Columbia east to Newfoundland; south to South Carolina, Iowa, Wyoming and California (Westfall and May 1996). Faunal element: Southern Boreal (see Appendix 2). BC Distribution: Widespread in the interior, north to the Yukon, but not recorded in the Northwest north of the Nass river. Rare on the coast. Biology: Inconspicuous but common in suitable habitat; flies weakly in dense grasses and sedges. Most abundant in sedge meadows and lakes bordered by sedges (Wm01-02, Wm04; Wf01, 05-06). While laying eggs in floating plants, the female perches horizontally and the male, clasping her thorax with the tip of his abdomen, holds himself stiffly at a 45° angle. BC flight period: late May to mid September; almost all records are from mid June to mid August.
Nehalennia irene Map 3. Frequency of records in British Columbia by NTS 1/50,000 mapsheet. |
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