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Alkali Bluet - Enallagma clausum
State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
The Alkali Bluet damselfly is currently listed as an "S2S4" species of potential concern in Montana because they are potentially at risk because of limited and/or declining numbers, range and/or habitat, even though it may be abundant in some areas. This rank is based on limited collections, but is probably more widespread that the rank implies.
General Description
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Species Range
Montana Range
Range Descriptions
Native
Range Comments
Known from the northern and central US and Canada prairie regions south to California and New Mexico, and east to Iowa and Minnesota. In Montana, it is probably more common (statewide distribution) than these records indicate.
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 23
(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version)
Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
The Alkali Bluets habitat preferences include saline and alkaline, as well as freshwater lakes and ponds and large rivers with or without emergent vegetation. In the west, this species can be found in habitats too alkaline for any other odonate to occupy (Westfall and May 1996, Acorn 2004, Paulson 2009).
National Vegetation Classification System Groups Associated with this Species
Wetland and Riparian
Alkaline - Saline Wetlands
Peatland
Riparian and Wetland Forest
Riparian Shrubland
Wet Meadow and Marsh
Food Habits
Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp.
Adult- This damselfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.
Reproductive Characteristics
Male Alkali Bluets perch on rocks and grasses or fly over open water searching and waiting for females. Females and tandem pairs oviposit directly on alga mats and agla-covered rocks in lakes with no emergent vegetation at the waterline and below (Paulson 2009).
Stewardship Responsibility
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Westfall, M.J., Jr. and M.L. May. 1996. Damselflies of North America. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, Florida. 649 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Acorn, J. 2004. Damselflies of Alberta: flying neon toothpicks in grass. Edmonton, Alberta: University of Alberta Press. 156 pp.
- Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies through binoculars: A field guide to dragonflies of North America. New York, NY. Oxford University Press. 266 pp.
- Hendricks, P., S. Lenard, D.M. Stagliano, and B.A. Maxell. 2013. Baseline nongame wildlife surveys on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Report to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, MT. 83 p.
- Paulson, D.R. 2009. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press, Princeton. 535 pp.
- Web Search Engines for Articles on "Alkali Bluet"
- Additional Sources of Information Related to "Insects"
