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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SteveClifton" data-source="post: 1356154" data-attributes="member: 48420">Thanks Roy for your reply. I am certainly still very interested in this thread. Your photos only serve to confirm what I already thought. I guess I just bowed to Steve Dudley's greater experience as I am still something of a beginner with odonata (been 'serious' for about 3 years).I still feel that Steve Dudley has over simplified the case for this being a Ruddy Darter, and though I was already aware of the features of both species, am I the only person who still can't see any of the 'clinching' features of Ruddy that Steve D talked about.It's interesting, in your photos Rob, that the 1st Ruddy photo is better marked on the thorax compared to your 2 photos of Common Darter, in fact every bit as clearly marked as many Commons. I too have seen several individuals of Common that look poorly marked like the one in your 2 pictures. Steve Dudley was clearly wrong that my own photo of a Ruddy was as clearly marked as the species gets! I still strongly suspect that Steve Waite's photos are of a Common Darter based mainly on the fact that, to my eyes, its body shape is closer to the many Common Darters that I have seen. I agree also about the colour of the frons being better for Common. Steve</blockquote>