Northern Damselfly vs Narrow-bordered Bombardier

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Northern Damselfly Narrow-bordered Bombardier
Scientific Name Coenagrion johanssoni Brachinus sclopeta
Order Odonata Coleoptera
Family Coenagrionidae Carabidae
Size 28-35 mm body length 6-9 mm
Habitat Wetlands Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Northern Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia, Siberia Mediterranean Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Northern Damselfly

A delicate blue and black damselfly with narrow wings held together above the body at rest. Males have a distinctive blue pattern on the abdomen. It breeds in bog pools and marshy lakeshores.

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Did You Know?

This damselfly has one of the most northerly distributions of any odonate, surviving in habitats where the breeding season lasts only a few weeks.

Narrow-bordered Bombardier

A Mediterranean bombardier beetle with a narrow body and orange-brown coloring. It shelters communally under stones in dry habitats.

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Did You Know?

Groups of up to 100 individuals have been found sheltering together under a single stone.