Dragonflies - Communal Thread

Hi Les,

I think your Black-tailed Skimmer is actually an adult Scarce Chaser, Eyes look grey, Yellow colour in wing veins and the pattern at the base of the rear wings.

For a Black-tailed Skimmer the eyes are green and the wings have little or no colouration or patterns.

Cheers

Jerry
 
Last edited:
xmh said:
Hi Les,

I think your Black-tailed Skimmer is actually an adult Scarce Chaser, Eyes look grey, Yellow colour in wing veins and the pattern at the base of the rear wings.

For a Black-tailed Skimmer the eyes are green and the wings have little or no colouration or patterns.

Cheers

Jerry
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
Broad bodied chaser

xJUUMki.jpg
 
xmh said:
Hi Les,

I think your Black-tailed Skimmer is actually an adult Scarce Chaser, Eyes look grey, Yellow colour in wing veins and the pattern at the base of the rear wings.

For a Black-tailed Skimmer the eyes are green and the wings have little or no colouration or patterns.

Cheers

Jerry
Click to expand...

Thank you Jerry - you live and learn

Les ;)
 
Took this one in Exmoor last week:



A banded demoiselle, but I'm not sure if male or female?
 
Philip W said:
Took this one in Exmoor last week:



A banded demoiselle, but I'm not sure if male or female?
Click to expand...

Philip, it's actually a Beautiful Demoiselle (male), cousin to the Banded. In Beautiful Demoiselles, the male's wings are completely coloured while there is only an enlarged spot on the Banded.
 
Brachytron said:
Philip, it's actually a Beautiful Demoiselle (male), cousin to the Banded. In Beautiful Demoiselles, the male's wings are completely coloured while there is only an enlarged spot on the Banded.
Click to expand...
That's great to know thanks Mark, I couldn't quite place it (I'm no expert) as male or female but that makes sense if I had the wrong type!
 
Hi,

#1 - Agreed Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).

#2 - Recently emerged judging by the wings, Emperor (Anax Imperator) female.
 
xmh said:
Hi,

#1 - Agreed Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum).

#2 - Recently emerged judging by the wings, Emperor (Anax Imperator) female.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jerry. I would never have come up with the second one. Its hard enough to find them to photograph, even harder to ID them.
 
I was in a hide at Blashford lakes near Ringwood last week and this Emperor landed on the branches a little way out..too far for a decent shot but I'm posting it regarding the behaviour of the damselflies.I assume the Emperor was laying eggs.. They don't look like they're attacking it because, as you see, one landed on the Emperor. Very strange.

2evazdh.jpg
 
JohnC6 said:
I was in a hide at Blashford lakes near Ringwood last week and this Emperor landed on the branches a little way out..too far for a decent shot but I'm posting it regarding the behaviour of the damselflies.I assume the Emperor was laying eggs.. They don't look like they're attacking it because, as you see, one landed on the Emperor. Very strange.
Click to expand...

Hi John. This is a commonly observed phenomena, but no-one really knows for sure what is happening. The Emperor is indeed egg laying, and the most popular theory is that the damselflies are confusing her abdomen colouration for a female Damselfly, despite the size difference. This behaviour has been recorded in Common Blue Damselflies, like in your shot, and Azure Damselflies.
 
Brachytron said:
Hi John. This is a commonly observed phenomena, but no-one really knows for sure what is happening. The Emperor is indeed egg laying, and the most popular theory is that the damselflies are confusing her abdomen colouration for a female Damselfly, despite the size difference. This behaviour has been recorded in Common Blue Damselflies, like in your shot, and Azure Damselflies.
Click to expand...

Agreed - I see it each year on one of our local Lakes

Emp.jpg
 
Thanks both. Could be dangerous for one creature to mistake another and land on it...Lol

Lovely photo,Bill.
 
Mark - I'm getting a bit "rusty" ........... is my Southern Skimmer a Keeled Skimmer ...... I thought it was a Southern, but looking today I'm not sure as it has a brown face = Keeled male

Here's another, from today

all three images are different insects as there are quite a few around

Skimmer.jpg


Blue_4.jpg



and another from today - just rusty - I would go for a Blue-eye or Goblet-marked damselfly ......... but the anteh stripes put me off???

Erythromma lindenii ??

Blue.jpg


another Violet Dropwing

Violet_2.jpg


 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top