Dragonfly and larvae for ID please

[colincurry]

I was having a break by a lakeside, enjoying coffee, etc. About ten feet from the edge was a clump of reeds. A dragonfly kept zooming around and then alighting on a particular leaf. Every time I had my camera on it, it flew away.

Eventually, it settled again and I took a couple of shots



I noticed a mark on the leaf but thought nothing of it until I processed the snap.

The second picture is even more interesting as it revealed two larvae - one on each side of the leaf



I wonder if this is a black tailed skimmer? Can anyone explain why the dragonfly returned constantly to the same leaf bearing the larvae, please? Did it also use the same leaf to emerge, or is there possibly some form of predation here?

Thanks

Colin

[Tobyh]

Hi Colin,

That does look like a black tailed skimmer to me also.

I can only guess that the dragonfly returning to the same perch was because it's a "favourite" - many species will do this and will return time and again to the same perch. Perhaps it's just at the right height with decent visibility for hunting.

I've not heard of the nymph predation but wouldn't be at all surprised if it did indeed emerge from that stem. Maybe that stem is simply a popular dragonfly thoroughfare

I'm sure some of the more experienced dragonfly peeps can expand.

TobyH

[earthdragon64]

That particular Dragonfly isn't a species I'm familiar with, but the two larvae look more like exuviae to me.

An exuva is the final larval skin that the Dragonfly or Damselfly emerges from, having crawled out of the pond they were in and up some vegetation. Dragonfly larvae shed their skins a few times as they grow, you can sometimes find these when pond dipping, but you are more likely to find the final shed skin on pondside vegetation.

Sometimes you can find an emerging Dragonfly, and it's fascinating to watch the emergence process. It's also incredible that the exuva seems too small for the Dragonfly to have emereged from.

The first picture shows an emerging Highland Darter, whilst the 2nd picture shows the Exuva of a Common Hawker. If the exuva is in good condition, it's possible to identify the species of Dragonfly which emerged.

[colincurry]

Thank you very much for the learned explanation.

Colin

[ollyk]

Originally Posted by colincurry

The second picture is even more interesting as it revealed two larvae - one on each side of the leaf

Thanks

Colin

I count 3 exuvia not 2 They look like damsels to me but don't know what species!

[ollyk]

Originally Posted by earthdragon64

The first picture shows an emerging Highland Darter, whilst the 2nd picture shows the Exuva of a Common Hawker. If the exuva is in good condition, it's possible to identify the species of Dragonfly which emerged.

Stunning pictures! Was this very early on in the day then?

[earthdragon64]

Originally Posted by ollyk

Stunning pictures! Was this very early on in the day then?

Thanks, the first picture was taken just after midday, the 2nd after 2pm although there was no way to tell how long the exuva had been there. I think Dragons and Damsels can emerge at any time of day, not necessarily early mornings.

Also having looked more closely at the 2nd picture in the first post, I agree that there are three exuviae, not just two, although I can't identify the species from the picture.

There is a new book now being advertised on the British Dragonfly Society website, "Field Guide to the larvae and exuviae of British Dragonflies. Volume 2: Damselflies" by Steve Cham. I've already got Volume 1 which is Dragonflies, and is great for ID purposes, so I'll be placing an order.