Bug FAQSmall Red Damselfly
Ceriagrion tenellum · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae
Also called: Small Red Damsel
The small red damselfly is 25 to 35 mm long and the male’s abdomen is completely red, while the female’s abdomen is dark with red at the front and back. It lives in heathland bogs, streams and acidic ponds, flying only in the warmest and calmest weather and staying close to its breeding waters. The larvae are tiny (16 to 17 mm), live among debris in acidic water, develop over two years, and hatch from eggs laid on submerged or emergent plants after about a month.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have an entirely red abdomen. Females have a dark abdomen with red only at the front and rear ends.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 25 to 35 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found in heathland bogs, streams and acidic ponds. Adults fly only in warm, calm weather.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Females lay elongated eggs on submerged or emergent plants; eggs hatch after about a month. Larvae develop for two years before becoming adults.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults stay low and weakly over the water, rarely venturing far from breeding sites. They can be surprisingly inconspicuous, even the males.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is much shorter than the large red damselfly, which it can be confused with.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell a male from a female?
Males have a completely red abdomen, while females have a dark abdomen with red only at the front and back.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does the small red damselfly live?
It lives in heathland bogs, streams and acidic ponds, and adults fly only in warm, calm weather.
Source: Wikipedia
What do the larvae look like and where are they found?
Larvae are very small (16 to 17 mm), live among debris in acidic bogs, streams and ponds, and develop over two years.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coenagrionidae)
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Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_red_damselfly
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.