Red-eyed Damselfly

Distribution: Found through ought the Wiltshire region.

Identification: The males are usually encountered over water were they frequently rest on floating vegetation. Whilst having a blue tip to the tail similar to the Blue Tailed Damselfly, the bright blood red eyes and lack of antehumeral stripes separates the species. The females are harder to identify as the eyes are duller than the male and they lack the black tip to the abdomen, the half length yellow antehumeral stripes are distinctive.
The small red-eyed damselfly which has recently started colonising the UK, has now appeared in Wiltshire. How this species can be separated from E najas is dealt with in the section on the Small Red Eyed Damselfly.

County Status: Widespread.