Damaged broadbodied chaser

[Susie]

Can someone please tell me if this broadbodied chaser has sustained damage to her abdomen during mating or, as I believe, it has occured during the emergence process (I think she is still immature?).

Many thanks in advance.

Susie

[Dogghound]

Its looks adult to me. The markings are alittle faded or possibly still yet to fully form or just variable. This abdomen damage could have occured through emergence, a predator or a genetic defect hard to say for sure. Its not too severe so unlikely it will cause to much of a problem.

[Susie]

Thanks, Dogghound.

I found her at my pond so I am chuffed to bits with her despite the damage. She is my first home grown dragonfly (as opposed to damsel).

[Dogghound]

They are usually the first dragonfly to colonise a pond so fingers crossed.

[RoyW]

I have no doubt at all that this damage was caused during emergence. It is the sort of thing you see when a dragonfly emerges too close to some sort of obstruction and this causes the expanding abdomen to bend out of shape when it hits it. The same sort of damage is often seen to occur to the wings - and in this photo there is some very slight damage to the left hind wing, which would be consistent with an obstruction, on the left side, that bent the abdomen to the right.

Roy.

[Susie]

Thank you.

She was fit enough to fly today and there was a second one too.