Is this a Scarce Chaser please? (Wilts, UK) (1 Viewer)

[Charlie M]

Hi All,

I took a photo of a (non-adult?) dragonfly a couple of days ago in a small woodland nature reserve in Wiltshire, and it's been puzzling me (I'm just a very casual dragonfly observer, so no surprise there really).

I've posted it on my homepage as I can't work out how to attach photos here (apologies for that) at http://www.charliesbirdblog.com

Thanks for any help

Charlie

 

[davewalters]

Hi - Sorry but it's a Black-tailed Skimmer

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Hi - Sorry but it's a Black-tailed Skimmer

What about the black at the base of the wing? Surely a libellula.

 

[mports]

Hi - Sorry but it's a Black-tailed Skimmer

Hmm, brown patches at the base of the wings - Male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula Depressa) ?

 

[Charlie M]

well this getting a bit odd - I had an email saying it was definitely a Scarce Chaser...I guess I'll have to see how this pans out, but i would say that I know Broad-bodied well and it wasn't one of those, and it wasn't built like a skimmer....

 

[mports]

well this getting a bit odd - I had an email saying it was definitely a Scarce Chaser...I guess I'll have to see how this pans out, but i would say that I know Broad-bodied well and it wasn't one of those, and it wasn't built like a skimmer....

Opps 3

Upon taking a closer look at the photograph - I'm unsure, agreed, it does look like a maturing male Scarce Chaser..... But no dark patches on wing tips?

 

[davewalters]

Eek - sorry everyone but it is a Scarce Chaser and to cap it all I was photogrpahing loads of them at Woodwalton Fen on Monday - doh!!!

 

[wint]

Hi Charlie

It's an immature male Scarce Chaser - just starting to get some blue on the abdomen and the eyes are changing colour from orange to blue.

It's a good pic for a teaser in that it looks like it's got antehumeral stripes as in BB Chaser.

Paul

 

[Charlie M]

Thanks everyone. Really didn't intend it to be a teaser - i don't know enough about dragonflies to be able to do that - but I'm quite relieved I'm not the only one who's had problems with it...

 

[wint]

Approaching it systematically - having decided it's a Skimmer or Chaser then
(1) The dark wingbases make it a chaser
(2) The yellow wing veins make it Four-spotted or Scarce
(3) Lack of mid (nodal) wing spot makes it a Scarce

You could also use abdomen shape and colour - the orange can catch your eye at great distance..

There's a picture in Britain's Dragonflies (Smallshire and Wash) very similar to yours.


HTH

Paul

Thanks everyone. Really didn't intend it to be a teaser - i don't know enough about dragonflies to be able to do that - but I'm quite relieved I'm not the only one who's had problems with it...