which is characteristic of that species. Examination of genitalia is essential for reliable
identification.
The discovery of Coenagrion scitulum in Britain took place on July 21st 1946. E. B.
Pinniger and C. Longfield were searching dykes near Benfleet in search of Lestes dryas
when Pinniger caught a male of a species of Coenagrion then unknown to both of them.
Subsequently two females were found some three quarters of a mile away. The ditches
were stagnant, in some places brackish, and overgrown with Spiked Water Milfoil and
Sea Club-rush. Longfield took the specimens back to the British Museum, where they
were photographed by W. H. T. Tams, and painted by C. O. Hammond. Using the B.M.'s
literature and collections, Longfield eliminated the closely related species Coenagrion
hastulatum and Coenagrion coerulescens, and became convinced that the specimens were
C scitulum, a species new to Britain. Contacts in Belgium, France and Italy were
contacted for specimens of C. scitulum to be sent over for confirmation. A complication
at this stage was that the first male to be captured had an atypical second segment
marking.
The first specimens were shown at meetings of the R.E.S.. S.L.E.N.H.S. and L.N.H.S..
and donated by Pinniger to the national collection at the B.M. (N.H.) Longfield's
account of the discovery was published in the Entomologist for 1947, and Pinniger
published accounts in the London Naturalist for 1947 (Pinniger, 1948) and the Essex
Naturalist, vol. 28, part 2, March 1948 (Pinniger, 1950). Pinniger's account in the Essex
Naturalist appeared late enough to include reference to a further specimen of C. scitulum
- a male - taken by Hammond on June 21st, 1947. This, too, had atypical markings on the
second abdominal segment. Longfield had already expressed the view that the
specimens had bred locally (the Entomologist, vol. 82. 1949. p.109 mistakenly included
1948 records of the species among its list of immigrant insects for that year), and
Hammond's re-discovery in 1947 seemed to confirm this view (Hammond. 1947).
The Entomologist for 1948 (Hammond. 1948) carried a report from Hammond of
another pair of C. scitulum seen on May 22nd of that year at the known locality. Since no
others were seen, however, Hammond was unconvinced that this was the 'headquarters'
of the species. This comment casts doubt on Hammond's later recollection (Hammond.
1983. p.70) that he found the headquarters of the species in 1947. A. E. Gardner (1950)
collected yet another male and female of C. scitulum on June 19th. 1949. in the hope of
studying the life-history of the species. Unfortunately he was unable to get the female to
oviposit. Presumably also in 1949. Hammond was able to donate two females to F. C.
Fraser, who observed egg-laying four days later (July 14th, on Water Plantain). Nymphs
were first observed on 28th August, and the final instar was entered during the first week
of March the following year. Fraser subsequently published his account and detailed
drawings of the larval stages (Fraser, 1950). By 1949 the site for C. scitulum was known to
a number of entomologists, and Pinniger. Syms and Ward (1950) reported sightings by
several observers between May and July. Specimens collected on June 18th. 1950 were
exhibited by B. P. Moore at the S.L.E.N.H.S.. and also by 1950 the main breeding site of
the species must have been discovered, since Gardner (1954) reported having found
larvae there early in 1950 and examined over a dozen adults later on in the year.
In 1951 Gardner visited the main breeding site, a pond near Hadleigh (some two
miles east of the original discovery), with Water Crowfoot, and was able to examine over
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