ID on pond creature pls ?

[galanthus]

These little chappies are all over pond on plants, bottom etc. I figure it's a flying insect larvae as they leave thier skins all over top of water. I also have a 3cm dragonfly type nymph but I can't get the picture small enough to post.

[Deer Stalker]

Hi Galanthus.

Looks like a Damselfly larvae.

[Adam Cheeseman]

Hi Galanthus,

this is one of the Mayfly nymphs, not a damselfly nymph. The three 'tails' (caudal lamellae) on a damselfly are flat and paddle-shaped and act to absorb oxygen. On a mayfly they are long and cylindrical tapering to a point. Mayflys also have gills along the sides of their abdomens, which damsels don't. Finally, probably the most obvious difference is the shape of the head. Small and roundish in mayflies, large and hammer-head shaped in damsels,

Cheers,

Adam

[galanthus]

Thanx loads

The nymph I can't get small enough to post has a hammer shaped head, I'm wondering now if that's a damselfly nymph and not a dragonfly. I've already had an emergent, I was lucky enough to catch the whole thing with camera; it was a large Red Damsel, perhaps that was it.

[harasseddad]

Large Red larvae have a black cross in the middle of each gill (the paddle shaped things at the end of the body). You can sometimes see this on the cases. (It can help if you wet them)