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Terrible at Dragonfly ID. Can you help? (1 Viewer)

phil baber

Clipped Wing
Europe
Grabs from film taken in Somerset, England, recently. I looked through all ID sites and books. I know it's male because it has claspers. Can you help? Thanks in advance...:t:
 

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Grabs from film taken in Somerset, England, recently. I looked through all ID sites and books. I know it's male because it has claspers. Can you help? Thanks in advance...:t:

Hi Phil

It's a female Hairy Dragonfly.

The females have claspers too! The shape and size of the claspers help distinguish the sexes but a key identifier in dragonflies (anisoptera) is that the male has two upper claspers and one lower clasper - the latter is absent in females.

For hairy Dragonfly see pp98-99 in Brooks and Lewington, pp88-89 in Smallshire and Swash or pp174-175 in Dijkstra & Lewington.

HTH
 
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