Latin Name:  Amphiagrion abbreviatum Selys, 1876
                        (R. Bercha, det.)

Length: 43 - 55 mm

Range: Alberta

Habitat:  Spring or canal fed marsh or seep

Time of year seen:  June to July (Additional Sightings)

Diet: Insects

Other: Amphiagrion abbreviatum (Selys), the Western Red Damselfly, is a locally common species found in the southern parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada (Walker, 1953 and Cannings, 2002).  The damselflies are easily identified by their coloration, hairiness and robust appearance (Walker, 1953). The males have a black head and thorax and predominantly red abdomen. The females are typically more orange in coloration and have lighter coloration then the males (Acorn, 2004). The required habitat conditions include: a reliable source of cool water with low TDS such as a spring or canal, an open marsh or seep with inflow and outflow with minimal accumulation of dissolved solids, areas within the marsh or seep with cool water temperatures (less than 18'C and, based on Acorn (2004), perhaps as cold as 6'C), mixed  substrates with some bare areas, emergent marsh vegetation of bulrushes and/or cattails, and surrounding terrestrial grass for perching (Bercha, 2022).