Powder blue damsel  (Arabicnemis caerulea)

Classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List (1).

For a desert region, southern Arabia has a remarkable number of dragonflies and damselflies (2). One particularly striking damselfly, discovered in the region in 1984, is the powder blue damsel (2) (3). As its name suggests, the powder blue damsel has a vivid blue body, with the female being slightly paler than the male (3).

The powder blue damsel is one of the few odonata species found only in southern Arabia. It has been recorded in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen (1) (4).

The slow-flowing, vegetated sections of irrigation ditches, oases and ephemeral watercourses (1).

A damselfly nymph begins life underwater, where it breathes by means of external gills, and feeds upon just about anything that moves (5). Following a period lasting anywhere from 30 days to several years (depending on the species), the nymph climbs out of the water onto an exposed rock or plant, and begins to breathe air in preparation for its short adult life (5) (6). Discarding its larval skin, the immature damselfly allows its newly developed wings to harden before flying away to feed and eventually reproduce (5). Like the nymphs, adult damselflies are generalist, opportunistic hunters, but mainly feed on flying insects (5) (6).

There is no information on the status of the blue powder damsel population but its breeding habitat is thought to be being degraded through pollution and over-harvesting of water. In addition, there is concern that a reduction in rainfall, associated with global climate change, may reduce the total available habitat in the future (1).

The priority for the conservation of the blue powder damsel and other dragonfly and damselfly species in southern Arabia is to maintain suitable habitat in the form of clean, running water systems (1) (5).

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi is a principal sponsor of ARKive. EAD is working to protect and conserve the environment as well as promoting sustainable development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.