Odd Dragonfly, double body? (1 Viewer)

Let me start off b saying hello to all you whom I managed to interest.

I am located in the netherlands and it is currently mid August. We have had some hot weather, mixed in with an occasional hailstorm and both the wasps near here and the butterflies have boomed.

Today during my usual smoke break I noticed the blue hue of a dragonfly but I also noticed something odd so I went in to photograph him/her.
Well, let me just show you what I saw.


If anyone has seen this before, i'd love to know at what stage it might happen. It has quite peaked my interest.

p.s. I apologise for the picture quality.

The male (whose abdomen is still connected to the female's pronotum) has probably been predated after forming a tandem - perhaps the female was ovipositing. I think Small Red-eyed Damselfly for the species.

pdwinter said:

The male (whose abdomen is still connected to the female's pronotum) has probably been predated after forming a tandem - perhaps the female was ovipositing. I think Small Red-eyed Damselfly for the species.

Click to expand...

I thought the same thing at first that it would maybe be the case that the little critter had mated.
However, the second body could actually move. When i got close to the little critter the lower body was first to bend and thereafter the second one also started to move somewhat.

My colleague who was with me also managed to touch the top body which could bend and move. Are the parts of an incect body not affected by rigor mortis?

Attached an extract from Tillyard - The Biology of Dragonflies. They live a bit longer than we do after a head severance!

That is actually really cool! Thanks for the info!