Odonata IDs - Mönchengladbach, Germany (1 Viewer)

[David_]

Hi,

still struggling with IDs, whenever I feel I am getting better there is some kind of setback with ether a misidentification or a species I can‘t ID at all. As a result I don‘t feel confident in my IDs.
Yesterday and today I went out again to take some pictures near Mönchengladbach. For most I think I got the ID right but would like to ask for confirmation. Also it would be nice if you could help me with number 4.

1. Male Common Darter? Black legs with yellow streaks, black at base of frons but not extending down the side


2. Keeled Skimmer?


3. Azure Bluet?



4. Strugglin with this one. In field I thought female Azure Bluet as it was flying along male Azure Bluets, but after seeing the photo, I struggle to match it with the pictures in my guidebook. Markings on the back look similar to female Blue featherleg but the legs does look like a featherleg. The form of the markings could also be the result of the sun being reflected on the abdomen. So what species is this?



5. Female Small Bluetail? Not sure as I didn‘t seem to be notably smaller than the Common Bluetail beneath. (At the same location I also found what I think was an immature female Small bluetail but didn‘t have the camera ready: very small damselfly with orange thorax, black upperside of abdomen and no taillight)


6. I think this is an immature female Common Bluetail. I see a purple thorax, black upperside of abdomen, blue taillight


7. Last one I think is an immature male Common Bluetail


Thanks for your help!

 

[pdwinter]

Agree with 1,2,3,6,7.

4 is a Blue Featherleg (Platycnemis pennipes) male - the orangey pterostigmas, widely space eyes and the double thin stripes on the side of the thorax - in addition to the abdomen markings you mentioned are useful features.

5 is a female Coenagrion sp. Given what we can see of the pronotum it might well be Azure (puella) (e.g. see http://www.dragonflypix.com/photos/coenagrion_puella_15.jpg on the dragonflypix site) .

 

[David_]

Thank you!

For #5 I will try to get more and better photos. It was in my parents garden and I am staying with them over the weekend, so I should be able to get more photos if the weather allows it.

 

[Swindon Addick]

For some species of Coenagrion, the only way to be sure of females is to get a good, sharp image of the pronotum (at the top of the thorax behind the head). As it's a blue-form female, it will be Azure rather than Variable if it's one of those two, but I don't know what the other options are where you are - some of the species that are very rare in the UK are much more frequent elsewhere.

Getting a photo from a better angle is one way forward; the alternative (which I usually resort to) is to wait and see what sort of male shows an interest.