Dragonfly case....

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by RoyW

Hi RR,

Where did you actually find this? I'm guessing that you found it floating on the surface of your pond, or caught up in the emergent vegetation at the pond edge - but still in the water?
If the dragonfly had emerged the exuvia would be more likely to be found attached to a plant stem above the water (or even a plant stem well away from the pond).

The photos are not especially clear, but two things suggest to me that this is actually the shed skin of a larva that is still growing (and is probably lurking somewhere in your pond at the moment); the size that you quote is too small for even the smallest of the likely hawker species (the most likely one to emerge this early is the Hairy Dragonfly, which is one of the smallest at c35-40mm), and from what I can see of them the wing buds do not look fully developed, although they would be prior to emergence.
Larva shed their skins several times as they grow, each time increasing their size and becoming closer in form to the final 'instar', from which the adult will emerge. As far as I can tell, this one does look like the skin from a Southern Hawker larva (relatively large eyes, and a labial mask that is relatively narrow at the base), so I think that that is the correct species identification. If so, it may emerge late in the summer this year (which would mean that the egg was laid in summer 2009), or possibly will continue growing and emerge in 2012 (perhaps in late spring/early summer - meaning the egg was probably laid in the 2010 summer).

Well spotted Roy, I didn't really consider the size. To be fair I am just glancing on breaks at works as my net is down at home

[aeshna5]

Red Robin- the damselfly you photographed last year is an adult male Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo.

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by aeshna5

Red Robin- the damselfly you photographed last year is an adult male Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo.

....Thanks for confirming that

This year I'll be even more on the lookout and with camera at the ready.

[Red Robin]

A new chapter in the same story:

Exactly one month later I today found another exuvia while removing some blanket weed - It was buried in it.





^ I placed it on a water lily leaf for photography.

This one is exactly two inches long and so, if it's a skin shed by the same Dragonfly larvae, it has grown one inch in one month! This monster must be still lurking in my pond.

Do the experts here think it's the same animal/species?

[Wild-Woman]

Was this the nymph itself as I can't see any exit opening where the dragonfly would have emerged?

[Red Robin]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Was this the nymph itself as I can't see any exit opening where the dragonfly would have emerged?

....I wondered if it was the nympth itself too when I first saw it amongst the blanket weed on the far side of my pond. I only saw it because my surviving frog tadpole (speckled with head as big as a newt's now) went whizzing into the blanket weed for cover. I used my long thin stick to first prod for movement and then carefully extract the body. Rather than let it sink to the bottom I placed it on a lily leaf and then arranged it for photography. I'll go and see how it fared overnight soon (when I've got some clothes on or my neighbour may think I'm taking wildlife too far!). I know from handling the other exuvia that they are very delicate and so I took extra care but in doing so I noticed that the abdomen went flat - In other words it was an exuvia with no innards. I have to say though that I am rather pleased that my pics give the illusion of life in this monster of the deep .

In my excitement of discovery and the opportunity to photograph it for sharing and posterity, I forgot to look for an exit opening. I was also very concerned not to break it while handling.

Logic tells me that although found near iris's it wasn't the result of an emergence which had dropped off the leaf back into the water because it was intact and well under the blanket weed. Perhaps this creature from the black lagoon had intelligently used the weed to help remove its exuvia overcoat, but I can only speculate.



^ I think I can just make out an exit opening in the first section of abdomen when pic is enlarged. Can anyone spot the approaching Caddisfly larvae?

I must admit that as my wildlife pond became more eastablished late last summer, I slightly regretted not buying a larger liner although mine was the only one available at the time. However, I now have no regrets whatsoever and quite the contrary - I can easily reach and so maintain every part of the pond. There is no escape from the large but gentle pink creature (Robinus rufus) which changes the colour of its outer covering and lurks at the edges of this underwater world.

[Red Robin]

....So do we still think this exuvia is a Southern Hawker? A size of 2 inches suggests an Emperor Anax imperator.