Odo-nutters

Virginia, Nov 2024

Posted on 10 November, 2024 by JC — No Comments ↓

This was decidedly not a targeted odonata trip but mainly a tourist trip to catch up with an old friend not seen in many years. I was located permanently in Richmond, Virginia making mostly local forays as and when I could. It was also very late in the flight season so expectations were not high (fortunately). I was blessed with wonderful weather enjoying two weeks of sunshine, which was considered unseasonably good for the area by the locals – temperatures were in the 20-25°C range, generally.

I found just six species but, being my first attempt at odonata in the USA, they were all new to me so there’s no point highlighting new ones in bold type. Probably as surprising as my finds, however, were my lack of finds at three locations with apparently excellent habitat. In a break from my usual format, I note these below as well.

The map:

Deep Run Park, 28 Oct [#1]

My first attempt at a promising looking park near my host’s address. I’d checked on iNaturalist and there are sightings here so, with the weather set fair I was hopeful for more than a single passing darner (mosaic hawker) which did not pose for pictures.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 29 Oct [#2]

Another site with observations on iNaturalist but, alas, for me another blank despite the fair weather. One of the two ponds in particular looked like very good habitat.

I was beginning to think that I was simply too late in the season. As a consolation prize I had fun with a whole bunch of other insects swarming on some asters.

Wilkes Ridge Parkway Ponds, 31 Oct & 2 Nov [#3]

Our host’s residence is at the bottom end of Wilkes Ridge Parkway. At the top end were two accessible ponds beside a medical facility. At long last we found four species still flying. So I was NOT too late.

I would love to have seen the spectacular female of Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk) but sadly it was not to be.

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)
Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail)
Pachydiplax Longipennis (Blue Dasher)
Erythemis simplicicollis (Eastern Pondhawk)

Lake Anna, 1 Nov [#4]

Lake Anna is a huge rambling dammed reservoir with many very convoluted side arms. We had gone out solo to find lunch in an interesting rural town and called in here on the return trip. It added a new Ischnura verticalis (Eastern Forktail) to my meagre collection. This was also our first meeting with Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail).

Ischnura posita (Fragile Forktail)
Ischnura verticalis (Eastern Forktail)
Pachydiplax Longipennis (Blue Dasher)

Wyndham Lake, 1 Nov [#5]

A lake that we were somewhat familiar with from our host’s previous location before moving. It’s big water, looking largely deserted at first, so I was not surprised eventually to see Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet) here, being painfully similar to our own Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Blue Damselfly).

Enallagma civile (Familiar Bluet)

Tuckahoe Creek Park, 3 Nov [#6]

Tuckahoe creek ran around our host’s residence but was inaccessible. Tuckahoe Creek Park was a modest distance away and I had high hopes which were, alas, dashed when we found nothing in beautiful looking habitat. They are there, though, according to iNaturalist.

James River Park Pony Pasture, 6 Nov [#6]

Once again, iNaturalist led me here. There were sightings of this delightful Hetaerina titia (Smoky Rubyspot), which I was very happy to find.

It also had sightings of a so-called meadowhawk (darter) which I would love to have seen but failed to find. The water in the relevant pond was very low, there having been little rain recently, which may have been responsible.

Hetaerina titia (Smoky Rubyspot)

Posted in 2024, Trip reports, USA

The Netherlands, May 2024 – The Whitefaces Tour

Posted on 27 August, 2024 by JC — No Comments ↓

The original driving force behind this trip was finally to see my one missing UK species, Coenagrion lunulatum (Crescent Bluet/Irish Damselfly). I had made two attempts to find it at the Lac de l’Estivadoux in the Auvergne, France but had failed on both occasions. That was in 2018 and 2023. The lake supposedly supports a population but I had no luck. I now suspect, that I was too late in the season, having visited in late June.

A friend of mine in the Netherlands, Antoine van der Heijden, knew where there was a population and had offered to show me, finally filling the one gap in my UK catalogue. However, he was also keen to lead me to the five European Whiteface species, all of which exist in his region of the Netherlands. We have but one whiteface in the UK and I had seen two others in France but it would be great to complete the set. Getting more, hopefully better pictures of those that I had already seen would also be very welcome.

Having visited Antoine two years ago, I had found an excellent, adults only campsite near to our quarries. This is Jelly’s Hoeve in Havelte, run by a very friendly couple and I recommend it highly. Last time we’d stayed in a rented apartment on the property but this time we took our motor home to stay on the campsite itself. I booked a Stena Line ferry, which is also excellent, from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and Antoine graciously entertained us for five days. When we were done in the Netherlands we crossed over into France for the rest of our main summer break. (I’m not including any French details ‘cos I did very little, there.)

In the following write-up, species new to me are in bold type.

Fochteloërveen B, 24 May [#1]

The day we arrived and day #1 with Antoine, who was immediately on the case. He had an unexpected Friday free and offered to take me straight out to find my main quarry.

There is a Fochterloëveen A on my overall Netherlands map but I split this area out because the habitat seemed quite different from A , as were some of the species. It must be noted, though, that the time of year was also different.

This was the site of my bête noire, Coenagrion lunulatum (Crescent Bluet/Irish Damselfly) which I’m happy to say that Antoine found for me. He said he was a bit concerned that this was quite late in their flight season, which is why I now suspect that I just too late looking for it in the Auvergne at Lac de l’Estivadoux in late June.

The other star here was the first of our five whitefaces, Leucorrhinia rubicunda (Ruby Whiteface). There was also Leucorrhinia pectoralis (Yellow-spotted Whiteface) which I failed to get a picture of, here, but which I did have a single shot of from the Pinail Trail in France.

Coenagrion lunulatum (Crescent Bluet)
Coenagrion puella (Azure Bluet)
Coenagrion pulchellum (Variable Bluet)
Ceriagrion tenellum (Small Red Damsel)
Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Leucorrhinia pectoralis (Yellow-spotted Whiteface)
Leucorrhinia rubicunda (Ruby Whiteface)

Jelly’s Hoeve, 24-27 May [#2]

This is simply a collection of visitors over the various days that we saw whilst staying at the farm site, the most surprising of which was Gomphus vulgatissimus (Common Clubtail).

Coenagrion puella (Azure Bluet)
Platycnemis pennipes (Blue Featherleg)
Aeshna isoceles (Green-eyed Hawker)
Gomphus vulgatissimus (Common Clubtail)
Libellula depressa (Broad-bodied Chaser)
Libellula fulva (Blue Chaser)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)

Havelte Pond, 25 May [#3]

We were on our own today and went to look at a small pond in the middle of Havelte. I was quite pleased to see Cordulia aenea (Downy Emerald) active here but Antoine later explained that these were as common as muck in the Netherlands, pretty much being on every pond.

Coenagrion puella (Azure Damsel)
Erythromma najas (Large Redeye)
Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Pyrrhosoms nymphula (Large Red Damsel)
Anax imperator (Blue Emperor)
Cordulia aenea (Downy Emerald)

Terhorsterzand, 26 May [#4]

Day #2 with Antoine, who took me to this extensive habitat. The target here was Leucorrhinia albifrons (Dark Whiteface), which we did find. There is something a little perverse about a scientific name of albifrons and a common name featuring “dark”.

Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Aeshna isoceles (Green-eyed hawker)
Anax imperator (Blue Emperor)
Leucorrhinia albifrons (Dark Whiteface)
Leucorrhinia pectoralis (Yellow-spotted Whiteface)
Libellula depressa (Broad-bodied Chaser)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)
Orthetrum cancellatum (Black-tailed Skimmer)

De Weerribben, 26 May [#5]

Day #2 with Antoine, part #2 and he took me back to De Weerribben. I say back because this was one of the main sites he introduced me to when I first visited him in the Netherlands in 2022. It is an amazingly extensive habitat with many species, though this time we focused on one restricted area and another whiteface, Leucorrhinia caudalis (Lilypad Whiteface). I’d seen this character at a site in La Brenne, France, but was happy to have another crack at it with better access.

My main Netherlands map has just one combined list but I’ve tried to cut this down to those that we saw this time around, though my records are a little lax.

Erythromma najas (Large Redeye)
Aeshna isoceles (Green-eyed Hawker)
Crocothemis erythraea (Broad Scarlet)
Leucorrhinia caudalis (Lilypad Whiteface)
Leucorrhinia pectoralis (Yellow-spotted Whiteface)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)
Libellula fulva (Blue Chaser)

Duerswald, 27 May [#6]

And so to the last of the five European whiteface species and the one that we have at home in the UK, Leucorrhinia dubia (Small Whiteface, a.k.a. White-faced Darter in Britspeak). My best catch here was a very cooperatively posed female.

My lax record keeping means that his is probably not an exhaustive list.

Ceriagrion tenellum (Small Red Damsel)
Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Leucorrhinia dubia (Small Whiteface)
Leucorrhinia pectoralis (Yellow-spotted Whiteface)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)

Havelte Flush, 27 May [#7]

This was an unexpected pleasure. Carol had been cycling around Havelte amusing herself whilst I was out with Antoine one day and she described seeing a “flush” with Bluetails. I got excited at the word flush, where Bluetails are concerned, and asked if they might have been Ischnura pumilio (Small Bluetail/Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly). She couldn’t say. So, we returned having bad farewell to Antoine and, sure enough, we had found a colony of I. pumilio. I. elegans (Common Bluetail) was also present.

- Coenagrion puella (Azure Bluet)
- Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
- Ischnura pumilio (Small Bluetail)
- Pyrrhosoma nymphula (Large Red Damsel)
- Libellula depressa (Broad-bodied Chaser)

Posted in 2024, Netherlands, Trip reports

Triangle of Confusion

Posted on 2 March, 2024 by JC — 3 Comments ↓

My title stems from two documented concepts. In photography, the circle of confusion is used to determine the depth of field, that part of an image which is acceptably sharp. In linguistics, the triangle of meaning is a model of how linguistic symbols relate to the objects they represent. Both triangle and confusion seem particularly relevant to my subject, pictured right.

I consciously avoided naming my flying beast because it is the naming of it which leads to confusion.

I’ll begin by considering the common or vernacular names. In the UK, this delightful dragonfly has traditionally been termed Norfolk Hawker because, though it had also been found in the Cambridgeshire fens, its range became restricted to the Broadlands of Norfolk. However, over several years it’s breeding range has spread to include Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Kent, and continues to expand. So, to tag it Norfolk now seems inappropriate to some. Green-eyed Hawker is the name used by Dijkstra/Schröter/Lewington and by Smallshire/Swash in their European volumes. This has always seemed more appropriate in an international context and may now seem more appropriate in a UK context to some, given its spread. However, traditions die hard and there are factions that champion Norfolk Hawker as the UK common name, perhaps as testament to its local heritage [forgetting the Cambridgeshire fens history].

Now let us consider the thorny topic of scientific or binomial name.

The species scientific name stems from the isosceles triangle mark atop S2, present in both sexes. It was apparently first described by the Danish naturalist Otto Friedrich Müller in 1767. Whether by accident or design, his species name of isoceles omitted the 2nd “s” that appears before the middle “c” in geometric terminology. I have seen one claim that the original specific name was isosceles (with the “s”) but there was no attribution and that doesn’t seem to gel with the apparent original name of isoceles from good ol’ Müller.

Erich Schmidt (1890 – 1969), a German entomologist, seems to have been instrumental in ascribing it to Anaciaeschna, thus Anaciaeschna isoceles. ^[1] This was based on perceived differences between isoceles and other members of the Aeshna genus though, from his paper title (“Was ist Libellula isoceles?”), we might infer that it was then considered to be in the Libellula genus. Whatever, it has since been included in the Aeshna genus , thus Aeshna isoceles.

The NBNAtlas continues to refer to Anaciaeschna isoceles.

I believe, for a while recently, that the BDS referred to it as Anaciaeschna isoceles, changing from Aeshna isoceles, but it now seems to have reverted to Aeshna isoceles.

Cynthia Longfield (The Dragonflies of the British Isles, 1939) referred to Aeshna isosceles.

R. R. Askew (1987 & 2003) refers to Aeshna isosceles.

Dijkstra/Schröter/Lewington (2020) have it as Aeshna isoceles.

Smallshire/Swash (2020) have it as Aeshna isoceles.

The IUCN Red List has it as Aeshna isoceles.

Dr. Dennis Paulson’s World Odonata List has it as Aeshna isoceles.

So, the majority of modern texts seem to be in favour of A. isoceles (without the “s”) which, given Müller’s initial taxon definition, should, I think, be considered correct.

My previous statement deliberately avoided the genus name and here is why.

We have seen that our friend has already been bounced around between Libellula, Anaciaeschna and Aeshna. Now …

Enter stage left: DNA analysis [a technique not available to our illustrious forebears.]

In August 2023, a paper was published with the catchy title of “Molecular Phylogeny of Holarctic Aeshnidae with a Focus on the West Palaearctic and Some Remarks on Its Genera Worldwide (Aeshnidae, Odonata)”. This erudite paper is full of very big, specialized words which this author admits largely to failing to understand. However, I have found a mostly comprehensible pithy conclusion of interest, though it is still liberally dosed with gobbledegook:

It is noteworthy that the cluster uniting clade 9 with clades 1–8 has the negligible support of a 0.56 posterior probability value, which provides a strong argument against inclusion of A. isoceles into the genus Aeshna.

…

Our phylogenetic trees based on ITS sequences suggest that the genus Aeshna in the current sense is not monophyletic. According to the ITS tree it can be made monophyletic if we synonymize with it the genera Pinheyschna and Polycanthagyna (the next node of which unites the current Aeshna spp., and Pinheyschna only has a weak support of 0.68). Even this broader solution would still place A. isoceles outside Aeshna. At the same time, in both COI trees Aeshna is monophyletic (although with a weak support), but again without A. isoceles. In none of our analysis did A. isoceles show a closer relationship to the genus Anaciaeschna, as has sometimes been suggested before. This is not surprising, as this has been discussed for about 100 years, when Friedrich Ris asked Erich Schmidt “What is Aeshna isosceles?”. However, the placement in Anaciaeschna, as suggested by him, cannot be followed, as none of our gene fragments investigated by different algorithms correspond to this assumption. Our results also did not support a relation of A. isosceles to the genus Andaeschna DeMarmels, 1994, as discussed by von Ellenrieder.

We, therefore, suggest for A. isoceles the new genus: Isoaeschna.

Thus, Isoaeschna isoceles.

Considering that the above is a late 2023 paper, I was surprised to find iNaturalist already referring to Isoaeschna isoceles. Given its international focus, I was also a little surprised to find iNaturalist using the common name of Norfolk Hawker.

It should also be noted that this paper also discounts the Hemianax genus:

Clade 10 represents the genus Anax. The clade includes Anax ephippiger (Burmeister, 1839) and makes an additional genus as Hemianax Selys, 1883 unnecessary, which is in line with previous studies, for example the most recent one by …

Thus, Anax ephippiger and Anax papuensis (not Hemianax ephippiger or Hemianax papuensis).

[1] Schmidt, E. Was ist Libellula isoceles O. F. Müller 1767? Entomol. Z. 1950, 60, 1–7, 13–14.

Posted in Articles

Australia, Jan-Feb 2024

Posted on 29 February, 2024 by JC — No Comments ↓

Another trip to Australia but this was mainly a tourist trip, first visiting relatives in Brisbane and then in Stanley, Victoria via Melbourne, with a 10-day motorhome trip through the outback in between. So, my hunting of odonata was less intensive, taking opportunities when and where I could. Nonetheless, I’d done a little research on iNaturalist around our intended stops and had a few targets that I would like to hit.

My three previous dragonfly trips to Australia were in November and December, which is the earlier part of their dragonfly season. This trip was in the latter part of their season and I was interested to see what difference that might make. As in this country, it did cut down on the number of damselfly species that I could find and I fairly soon began spotting a pattern of usual suspects, also as here.

We flew on Malaysia Airlines through Kuala Lumpur, mainly because they had a special deal on seats. Unfortunately, Malaysia Airlines doesn’t fly to Brisbane so we routed through Adelaide with a connecting internal flight. Return was simpler since we left from Melbourne, where Malaysia does fly, again through KL.

We began with a rental car for 5 days in Brisbane staying with relatives, then picked up a Maui motorhome to meander through the outback before handing it back at Melbourne, where we picked up a second rental car to stay with Carol’s brother and sister-in-law at Stanley, Victoria.

I’ve done some of Brisbane and Stanley before so they were mostly like catching up but the inland route in the motor home was entirely new. The trip resulted in 32 species, 6 0f which were new to me. That was a whole lot better than I had expected given the timing and style of the trip. My new species are shown in bold type below.

Here’s my map of locations. Overnight points are shown in a separate layer which can be triggered on the full map.

Queens Park, Ipswich, 24 Jan [#1]

A new site for me in a Brisbane suburb that we visited mainly to see an enormous roost of Fruit Bats.Queens Park has a Nature Centre which includes small water bodies with attendant dragonflies, though. Hemicordlia australiae (Australian Emerald) played nicely for the audience.

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher)
Nososticta solida (Orange Threadtail)
Hemicordlia australiae (Australian Emerald)
Ictinogomphus australis (Australian TIger)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)

Mount Coot-tha Botanic Gardens, 24 Jan [#2]

This was one of my favourite sites from my first odo-hunting trip with Phil Benstead in 2019. I was keen to revisit it but it felt a little slow second time around. I think was the only place I saw Crocothemis nigrifrons (Black-headed Skimmer), though.

Nososticta solida (Orange Threadtail)
Crocothemis nigrifrons (Black-headed Skimmer)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Hydrobasileus brevistylus (Water Prince)
Ictinogomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Rhyothemis phyllis (Yellow-striped Flutterer)

Karawatha Forest, Brisbane, 25 Jan [#3]

This was a new site that I was introduced to by an Australian contact and was very keen to try, especially as it supports a population of the diminutive Nannophya australis (Australian Pygmyfly). I’d seen these once before but only an immature male, so I wanted a shot at them with my current photographic kit [Olympus]. Helped by my local contact, I did manage to find mature and maturing males of them, along with a satisfying haul of other species including a brand new one, Tramea eurybia (Dune Glider). Some decent shots of Aethriamanta circumsignata (Square-spot Basker) were also very welcome.

Austroagrion watsoni (Eastern Billabongfly)
Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel)
Aethriamanta circumsignata (Square-spot Basker)
Choristhemis flavoterminata (Yellow-tipped Tigertail)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Hemicordulia australiae (Australian Emerald)
Hydrobasileus brevistylus (Water Prince)
Nannophya australis (Australian Pygmyfly)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Rhyothemis phyllis (Yellow-striped Flutterer)
Tramea eurybia (Dune Glider)

Springfield Lakes, Brisbane, 26 Jan [#4]

A new spot that turned out to be better than expected with decent views of Aethriamanta nymphaeae (L-spot Basker) and Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow).

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Aethriamanta nymphaeae (L-spot Basker)
Hydrobasileus brevistylus (Water Prince)
Ictinogomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Rhyothemis phyllis (Yellow-striped Flutterer)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

West Creek Park, Toowoomba, 28 Jan [#5]

Our first stop on the road with the motor home and one that I was looking forward to with some anticipation. I had once seen the delightful Pseudagrion aureofrons (Gold-fronted Riverdamsel) on the 2019 trip with Phil Benstead but I could only manage a distant shot of it in the middle of a river. I noticed that they had been seen at this location and was keen to get better photos with my Olympus equipment. Had we been a day earlier, the bridge from the campsite in the park would have been flooded but the water had now subsided and there were very cooperative individuals flying and perching very close by. I was a very happy. There was a decent haul of other species, too.

Austroagrion watsoni (Eastern Billabongfly)
Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Pseudagrion aureofrons (Gold-fronted Riverdamsel)
Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Hemicordulia australiae (Australian Emerald)
Ictiinogomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)

Rocky Creek Glacial Area, nr. Bingara, 30 Jan [#6]

More of a tourist stop en route but there was water so I thought I’d have a look; why not? The “usual suspects” pattern was getting established with these two. There was a damselfly, too, but I lost track of it.

Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Dubbo Regional Botanic Garden, 31 Jan [#7]

The “usual suspects” triumvirate was personified, here. Not as productive as I’d expect from a botanic garden but perhaps too manicured.

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Rotary Park, Nyngan, 31 Jan [#8]

There were two surprises in Nyngan, where we stopped beside the Bogan River for lunch.

Even the river name was a surprise but the first was seeing a large statue called the Big Bogan, then realising that Nyngan is in Bogan Shire. My surprise stemmed from the fact that Australian slang uses the term “bogan” as an insult meaning “a person whose speech, clothing, attitude and behaviour are considered unrefined or unsophisticated”. A lady I spoke to at the Cobar campsite said it meant “a dickhead”. Who would want to live here?

My second surprise was much more pleasant in that we found two delightful damselflies who clearly didn’t mind residing in Rotary Park on the Bogan River: Ischnura aurora (Aurora Bluetail) and the stunning Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel).

Ischnura aurora (Aurora Bluetail)
Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Zinc Lakes, Broken Hill, 02 Feb [#9]

In the depths of outback New South Wales, though for communication reasons Broken Hill is actually on Adelaide time (30minutes shifted), I wasn’t expecting much but a park with a lake had two of the usual suspects plus, unexpectedly, the charming Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel) again, including a tandem pair.

Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Perrcher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Kerang-Quambatook Rd, nr. Kerang, 04 Feb [#10]

The mercury topped out at 42C during this journey but there was an irresistible roadside water course that I had to investigate. Yet again, I was a bit surprised to see Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel) but, since I’ve used that species quite a bit, we’ll highlight Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher) this time and a female, for a change.

Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel)
Anax papuensis (Australian Emperor)
Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher)
Hemicordilia tau (Tau Emerald)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Mcivor Creek, Heathcote, 06 Feb [#11]

This was our last stop on our road trip with the motor home and very successful it turned out to be, too, not because of the number of species but because one of the four we found was brand new to me: ‘t was a female Parasynthemis regina (Royal Tigertail). Delighted would be an understatement since I hadn’t really been expecting to find new suspects on such a trip.

Anax papuensis (Australian Emperor)
Hemicordulia tau (Tau Emerald)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Parasynthemis regina (Royal Tigertail)

Stanley Barge Dam, 08 & 19 Feb [#12]

This was one of my favourite spots, within walking distance of my Brother-in-law, on our first exploration of Stanley. Given the lateness of the season I was expecting fewer species and that’s just what I got, not that I was disappointed. A nice tandem pair of Ischnura aurora (Aurora Bluetails) was a pleasant find along with decent views of a hung-up Aeshna brevistyla (Blue-spotted Hawker) .

Ischnura aurora (Aurora Bluetail)
Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Aeshna brevistyla (Blue-spotted Hawker)
Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher)
Hemicorduila australiae (Australian Emerald)

Reedy Creek, Woolshed, 08 Feb [#13]

We were familiar with Woolshed Falls from our 2017 visit but I has seen interesting sightings on iNaturalist before coming at this free camping area downstream of the falls. It proved to be a great spot in that it was our only meeting with Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing) and it got me a second new species, Austrogomphus guerini (Yellow-striped Hunter), which is always a thrill.

Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing)
Austrogomphus guerini (Yellow-striped Hunter)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Hemigomphus heteroclytus (Stout VIcetail)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Commissioners Creek, Yackandandah, 09 Feb [#14]

This was where I first found Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing) during my 2017 visit. I didn’t find them here this time – maybe their flight season here was over. I found just two species but one was my third new one, Synthemis eustalacta (Swamp Tigertail) so I was more than happy.

Austrogomphus guerini (Yellow-striped Hunter)
Synthemis eustalacta (Swamp Tigertail)

Woolshed Falls, Beechworth, 09 Feb [#15]

Not as exciting 2nd time around and later in the Australian season though it would have been had I not already seen Austrogomphus guerini (Yellow-striped Hunter) in Reedy Creek below the falls the day before.

Austrogomphus guerini (Yellow-striped Hunter)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Wonga Wetlands, Albury, 10 Feb [#16]

It felt as if we were really getting down to the dregs of the season, now, but this proved interesting in that both the common Emeralds, Hemicordilia australiae (Australian Emerald) and Hemicordulia tau (Tau Emerald) were flying together.

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Hemicordulia australiae (Australian Emerald)
Hemicordulia tau (Tau Emerald)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Cook Lane, Stanley, 11 Feb [#17]

This was a lengthy walk in the bush with Carol’s brother that very luckily found me another new species and a Hawker-type that settled, toboot: Austroaeschna multipunctata (Multi-spotted Darner). The Flatwing was on a so-called dam on a side track beside a farm.

Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing)
Austroaeschna multipunctata (Multi-spotted Darner)

Rotary Park, Myrtleford, 12 Feb [#18]

Given both a creek and a river, I went expecting a little more than just two species. A little disappointing, even at this time of the season.

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Hemigomphus heteroclytus (Stout Vicetail)

Lake Sambell, Beechworth, 12 & 14 Feb [#19]

There’re actually two waterbodies here, the main lake, the north-eastern end of which is the interesting bit, and the more ornamental Chinese garden at the south-west end. A modest collection of species made a refreshing change after the disappointment of Myrtleford. It was good to add a tandem pair of Austroagrion watsoni (Eastern Billabongfly) to my catalogue.

Austroagrion watsoni (Eastern Billabonfly)
Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Xanthagrion erythroneurum (Red & Blue Damsel)
Anax papuensis (Australian Emperor)
Diplacodes bipunctata (Wandering Percher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)

Snowy Creek, Mitta Mitta, 13 Feb [#20]

This was a lunchtime jaunt to a pub for lunch. The pub grounds were nestled in a bend of Snowy Creek. At first I saw no action but eventually we found an interesting damselfly new addition to the collection, Synlestes weyersii (Bronze Needle). At first I mistook it for a Flatwing – they are quite large – except that it hangs rather than sits. That turned sausage and mash into a great lunchtime treat.

Ischnura heterosticta (Australian Bluetail)
Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing)
Synlestes weyersii (Bronze Needle)

Lake Catani, Mount Buffalo, 18 Feb [#21]

Into the final throes of our trip we had a day trip up Mount Buffalo for family emotional reasons. I might have hoped for a bit more from a picnic beside this lake. At first thought I might have another new Tigertail but they turned out to be swarms of Synthemis eustalacta (Swamp Tigertail) again, which I’d seen in Yackandandah.

Ischnura aurora (Aurora Bluetail)
Synthemis eustalacta (Swamp Tigertail)

Posted in 2024, Australia, Trip reports

Dragons Down Under

Posted on 13 December, 2023 by JC — No Comments ↓

At the BDS AGM on 18th November held at Nottingham Trent University, I did a short presentation [25 minutes] summarizing highlights of a few trips hunting odonata in Australia. Happily [for me, anyway], the BDS recorded all the presentations so, for the sake of posterity, mainly so I don’t lose track of it, I link to my talk here.

The recordings were neatly done with the slides and presenter side by side on two halves of the screen.

Posted in Articles, Australia, Trip reports

Orthetrum conundrum

Posted on 16 July, 2023 by JC — 2 Comments ↓

[I am indebted to Tony (Ant) Marriot for his picture of a female Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) used below … with thanks.]

Within the European theatre there are two painfully similar Skimmer (Orthetrum) species, the Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and the Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum). The latter does not yet occur in the British Isles and to my knowledge there have not yet been any sightings of vagrants in Britain, so this article is more of interest to those who visit the continent. O. brunneum is, however, on the northern coast of France, though it is less common there than it is further south, but given the changing climate, who knows in the near-ish future?

There are a number of distinguishing features used in identification. Some of these features are gender neutral whilst others are specific to gender and/or maturity. The features are not always as cut and dried as they might be so bear discussion. The images below are linked to larger versions which are easier to decipher.

Gender neutral

Wing venation

Above the Rspl of the forewing there may be a variable number of doubled cells. O. coerulescens has 0 – 5 cells doubled, whereas O. brunneum has a minimum of 4 cells doubled but usually more, often 6 or more. Unfortunately that makes 4 or 5 doubled cells overlap territory and so such a count is inconclusive. Note that the number of doubled cells can vary between left and right forewings, and also in the hindwings. The specimen shown above had 6 doubled cells in the left forewing. R. R. Askew suggests that the number of doubled cells in all four wings can be a useful guide, though doesn’t quantify it.

Pterostigmas

Both species have a variation of yellow pterostigmas. However, those of O. brunneum are darker, said to be more brown than yellow. This can be tricky to assess depending on light and maturity. Size is sometimes a clearer factor in that O. coerulescens has longer pterostigmas than does O. brunneum. Comparative distinctions are always a little difficult in isolation, though.

Mature Males

Pruinosty

The males of both species develop a pale blue pruinose abdomen. Males of O. brunneum develop a pruinose thorax as well, making them blue from end to end, whereas, in the north of its range, the males of O. coerulescens do not generally develop a blue thorax. However, in the south of its range, males of O. coerulescens can develop a blue thorax making it look more like O. brunneum.

Frons

The frons is generally reliable, the frons of O. brunneum males being quite white, making it look clean and fresh whereas the frons of O. coerulescens males has a distinct brown tinge giving it more of a dirty appearance.

2ary genitalia

I mention this just for the sake of completeness, since I have no photograph to illustrate it – this is more of a hand and lens feature, though it could show up on a very detailed photograph. The 2ary genitalia of O. coerulescens is a chunkier affair than that of O. brunneum. A good field guide, such as K-D Dijkstra’s, shows the detail.

Females/Immature Males

Abdominal Markings

Both species have a thin, dark line down the centre of the dorsal side of the abdomen; this is the so-called “keel”. At the posterior of segments 3-7, O. coerulescens has a short black bar crossing the keel. In O. brunneum, this is not a bar but a pair of separate dots. Note that immature males can be more heavily marked with black than females but the feature remains.

A Conundrum

So, given all of the above, what then is this specimen, an immature female that I photographed in Provence, southern France, June 2023?

I first noticed the doubled cells above the Rspl. The right wing clearly has 5 doubled cells but the left wing appears at first sight to have 6 doubled cells. However, looking closely, the centre cell seems to be being bisected by an extra “spurious” vein. This really looks like 5 cells with the centre cell split.

Now look at the abdominal markings. S3 and S4 have a clear cross bar spanning the keel. S6 and S7 clearly have pairs of spots either side of the keel. The marking on S5 looks like a bit of a hybrid. This gives mixed signals.

So, the doubled cells are inconclusive and the abdominal markings are mixed.

Looking at the pterostigmas, they seem to be clear yellow and look quite long so, I’m pretty sure that this is O. coerulescens. A very immature O. brunneum would likely also have quite yellow pterostigmas but they wouldn’t appear that long, I think.

[Back to the abdominal markings, I have been wondering if perhaps the cross bars of O. coerulescens might develop from spots moving down the abdomen with increasing maturity but I have no literature to support that probably fanciful, off the wall idea.]

Posted in Articles

Australia, Dec 2022 [FNQ 2022]

Posted on 15 January, 2023 by JC — No Comments ↓

In late 2019, just before Covid-19 ruined the world, I went on a 3-week intensive dragonfly hunting trip with Phil Benstead centred around Brisbane. The intention had been to go south into some of the State Parks of New South Wales but wild fires had struck forcing most parks to close. We ended up going north from Brisbane touring southern Queensland. Being one of Phil’s recce trips, that had been a tented camping safari. Worrisome at first, I became very fond of my little 1-man tent.

Finally, as the world technically opens up again, I went for a repeat performance with Phil. Phil had planned another trip to Far North Queensland [FNQ] centred around Cairns and it was not to be using tents, not being a recce, but shared accommodation in campsite chalets and motels. I had booked Qantas flights from Heathrow through Singapore to Sydney, with a connecting flight 3½ hours later up to Cairns. With a terminal change at Sydney, even for nervous ol’ me, a 3½ hour gap felt comfortable. It wasn’t. My Airbus A380 flight arrived in Sydney 2 hours late, then the bags took almost an hour to hit the carousel. With the Qantas transfer area being a complete zoo there was no chance of making my onward flight. Happily there was a backup flight 4 hours later which I did get rebooked onto so I arrived at Cairns late but on the correct day.

Our party numbered five in all; a very international mix of an American, a Frenchman and a German [sounds like the start of an old joke], as well as myself and Phil, a Brit who lives in Sweden. Once again, Phil’s research was exceptional. He was expecting 100 or so species. With no tents to set up, the days in the field were even longer than my first trip with him. We started at around 07:30 every day and went on for 10 or 11 hours in Wellington boots, typically. That’s very intense. I am always much more casual in my approach and took some time out when opportunities arose. Much of what we saw – and I expected to see less than my companions – would be new to me, anyway. I’m not much of a lister. With a lot of forested habitat, I found myself using flash more than usual (usual is rarely) and on one auspicious day I managed to fall headlong into a mountain river, completely submerging monopod, camera, lens and flash. I can now attest that Olympus’s claim that the M1X is waterproof is true. My 300 PRO lens misted up internally for three days but eventually dried out in the Queensland heat. The flash still works, too.

In theory this was wet season in FNQ but, from my viewpoint, we were very lucky with the weather suffering hardly any rain at all. I don’t do well with rain. I must say that I missed the privacy of my little tent but with the temperatures not dropping below 30°C accompanied by high humidity, tents with no aircon would have been uncomfortable.

Covering 16 very full days in the field, this is necessarily a long report. Here’s my indexed map with lists. As usual, the species noted are not exhaustive but limited to those that I personally saw. I racked up 79 species, 48 of which were new to me; 37 are endemic.

Cairns Botanic Gardens, 02 Dec [#1]

Botanic gardens are always a good bet, usually being enjoyable habitats as well as productive, and this one was no exception. The exceptional find here was an aggregation of Camacinia othello (Black Knight), at least half a dozen, some of which actually settled and posed for our cameras.

Argiocnemis rubescens (Red-tipped Shadefly)
Ceriagrion aeruginosum (Redtail)
Teinobasis rufithorax (Red-breasted Longtail)
Indolestes tenuissimus (Slender Reedling)
Agrionoptera insignis (Red Swampdragon)
Brachydiplax denticauda (Palemouth)
Brachydiplax duivenbodei (Darkmouth)
Camacinia othello (Black Knight)
Neurothemis stigmatizans (Painted Grasshawk)
Orthetrum serapia (Green Skimmer)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)
Rhyothemis phyllis (Yellow-striped Flutterer)

Cattana Wetlands @ Smithfield, 02 & 04 Dec [#2]

Anything tagged “wetlands” is also a magnet and rightly so. In an interesting collection, I’d single out Zyxomma elgneri (Short-tailed Duskdarter) here, not only because it was new to me but also because the fact that it’s alphabetically the last genus in the World List.

Indolestes tenuissimus (Slender Reedling)
Ischnura heterosticta (Common Bluetail)
Ischnura pruinescens (Colourful Bluetail)
Teinobasis rufithorax (Red-breasted Longtail)
Agrionoptera insignis allogenes (Red Swampdragon)
Brachydiplax denticauda (Palemouth)
Brachydiplax duivenbodei (Darkmouth)
Ictinogoomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Nannodiplax rubra (Pygmy Percher)
Nannophlebia eludens (Elusive Archtail)
Neurothemis stigmatizans (Painted Grasshawk)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Rhyothemis princeps (Sapphire Flutterer)
Zyxomma elgneri (Short-tailed Duskdarter)

Crystal Cascades, 03 Dec [#3]

A necessarily cut down list due to my not managing a couple of search areas – boots failed to grip a slope or two. This is an area that you need to be at early in the day to avoid Joe Public swimming in the cascades. 😉

There were a few notables here but one with a decent picture is Oristicta filicicola (Slender Wiretail).

Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Lestoidea conjuncta (Common Bluestreak)
Oristicta filicicola (Slender Wiretail)
Agrionoptera longitudinalis biserialis (Striped Swampdragon)
Dromaeschna forcipata (Green-striped Darner)
Eusynthemis nigra (Black Tigertail)
Nannophlebia eludens (Elusive Archtail)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)

Freshwater Creek, 03 Dec [#4]

The river running beside our campground accommodation. Eventually a Choristhemis flavoterminata (Yellow-tipped Tigertail) settled advantageously.

Nososticta coelestina (Green-blue Threadtail)
Pseudagrion ignifer (Flame-headed Riverdamsel)
Pseudagrion microcephalum (Blue Riverdamsel)
Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Choristhemis flavoterminata (Yellow-tipped Tigertail)
Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)

Hunter Creek Park, 04 & 09 Dec [#5]

Two visits here separated by a few days where we got a good view of a male Gompid with forked upper appendages, Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter).

Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Ischnura pruinescens (Colourful Bluetail)
Nososticta solitaria (Fivespot Threadtail)
Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Choristhemis flavoterminata (Yellow-tipped Tigertail)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)

Rifle Creek Restarea, 04 Dec [#6]

A place where you can bump into some interesting folk as well as some interesting dragons.

Macromia tillyardi (Australian Cruiser) was flying tirelessly over the river but I’m darned if I could snag it. Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila (Rainforest Elf) was much more cooperative.

Nososticta coelestina (Green-blue Threadtail)
Macromia tillyardi (Australian Cruiser)
Nannodiplax rubra (Pygmy Percher)
Rhyothemis princeps (Sapphire Flutterer)
Tetrathemis irregularis cladophila (Rainforest Elf)

Barron River, 04 Dec [#7]

This rather unassuming location proved to be one of my personal favourites. The diminutive damselfly Agriocnemis argentea (Silver Wisp) was an absolute delight.

Agriocnemis argentea (Silver Wisp)
Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Nososticta solida (Orange Threadtail)
Pseudagrion ignifer (Flame-headed Riverdamsel)
Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Choristhemis flavoterminata (Yellow-tipped Tigertail)
Hemicordulia intermedia (Yellow-spotted Emerald)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)

Emerald Creek Falls, 05 Dec [#8]

This was a wonderfully rich location, initially because we’d arrived in the middle of a mass emergence of cicadas which were utterly deafening. The star dragonfly here, though, was a male Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail), arguably the world’s largest species, which flew in and posed quite considerately for us. What a magnificent creature.

Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Indolestes tenuissimus (Slender Reedling)
Austroepigomphus turneri (Flame-tipped Hunter)
Austrogomphus divaricatus (Fork Hunter)
Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Dromaeschna forcipata (Green-striped Darner)
Eusynthemis nigra (Black Tigertail)
Hemicordulia australiae (Australian Emerald)
Nannophlebia eludens (Elusive Archtail)
Neurothemis stigmatizans (Painted Grasshawk)
Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Tonyosynthemis claviculata (Clavicle Tigertail)

Mareeba Bicentennial Lakes, 05 Dec [#9]

A visit towards the end of the day, so I was flagging a little. It’s a somewhat urban environment but the urbanization is at some distance so the dragons don’t mind. Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer) posed quite well here.

Austroagrion watsoni (Eastern Billabongfly)
Austrocnemis splendida (Splendid Longlegs)
Pseudagrion microcephalum (Blue Riverdamsel)
Crocothemis nigrifrons (Black-headed Skimmer)
Ictinogomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)

Jackaroo Motel Car Park, 06 Dec [#10]

One star dragonfly, Austrogynacantha heterogena (Australian Duskhawker), was found roosting in the car park cement blocks. outside our rooms. It’s a crepuscular species and something of a wanderer so totally unpredictable and this location will be useless for anyone following but it’s here for the sake of completeness.

Austrogynacantha heterogena (Australian Duskhawker)

Mount Lewis NP, 06 Dec [#11]

Not the greatest of days for me [understatement ].

This was a drive up a mountain road looking for streams that crossed it. The streams were rocky and, of course, my companions spent all their time walking up and down in the water. I managed to trip on a submerged rock and fall in, complete with monopod, camera, 300 lens and flash unit. Miraculously all survived but the lens misted up with changing temperatures (aircon – outside heat) for a few days thereafter. I was nervous and chickened out of much of the subsequent action. I did manage a decent Austroargiolestes aureus (Tropical Flatwing) and very attractive they are, too.

Austroargiolestes aureus (Tropical Flatwing)
Diphlebia hybridoides (Giant Rockmaster)
Synlestes tropicus (Tropical Needle)
Eusynthemis nigra (Black Tigertail)

Big Mitchell Creek, 06 & 09 Dec [#12]

Big Mitchell Creek itself is actually inaccessible to Joe Public (without prior arrangement). This really relates to the areas just outside between the fence and the road. A high-key Diplacodes nebulosa (Charcoal-tipped Percher) hit the spot.

Ischnura heterosticta (Common Bluetail)
Ischnura pruinescens (Colourful Bluetail)
Lestes concinnus (Dusky Spreadwing)
Brachydiplax denticauda (Palemouth)
Diplacodes nebulosa (Charcoal-tipped Percher)
Orthetrum sabina (Slender Skimmer)

Mulligan Highway, nr Lakeland Quarry, 07 Dec [#13]

My lens was suffering from steaming up after being dunked in a river but I manage to snag Austroepigomphus turneri (Flame-tipped Hunter) with its impressive red abdomen tip.

Austroepigomphus turneri (Flame-tipped Hunter)
Crocothemis nigrifrons (Black-headed Skimmer)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)

Mulligan Highway, MoN, 07 Dec [#14]

If only I could remember why I called this “MoN”. 😀 Here’s the Australian Neurothemis – N. fluctuans (Painted Grasshawk).

Pseudagrion microcephalum (Blue Riverdamsel)
Diplacodes trivialis (Chalky Percher)
Neurothemis stigmatizans (Painted Grasshawk)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)

Mulligan Highway, Billabong, 07 Dec [#15]

Aethriamanta circumsignata (Square-spot Basker)
Ictinogomphus australis (Australian Tiger)
Tramea loewii (Common Glider)

Mulligan Highway, Desailly, 07 Dec [#18]

A stop by the road that resulted in my only sighting of this tricky crepuscular species. Nigh on impossible to photograph flying in low light, here’s a very poor attempt.

Tholymis tillarga (Twister)

Davies Creek, 08 Dec [#17]

This a quite wide-ranging area where we worked two locations which I have combined into one. The first was at the actual falls which added just 2 species to the list. Another crepuscular celebrity made the day here, Telephlebia tillyardi (Tropical Evening Darner).

Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing)
Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Neosticta fraseri (Tropical Pinfly)
Synlestes Tropicus (Tropical Needle)
Austrophya mystica (Rainforest mystic)
Austroaeschna speciosa (Tropical Unicorn Darner)
Nannophlebia eludens (Elusive Archtail)
Telephlebia tillyardi (Tropical Evening Darner)
Tonyosynthemis claviculata (Clavicle Tigertail)

Davies Creek Road, 08 & 09 Dec [#18]

I’ve kept this separate because it was one of the sites where we saw Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail), though I didn’t get a photo of it from here.

Austroargiolestes icteromelas (Common Flatwing)
Indolestes tenuissimus (Slender Reedling)
Synlestes Tropicus (Tropical Needle)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)
Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail)

The Millstream, Ravenshoe, 10 Dec [#19]

Close to our Airbnb rental property in Ravenshoe, where at least I had my own room but no aircon. There was a ceiling fan, though.

Diphlebia euphoeoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Nososticta solitaria (Fivespot Threadtail)
Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Austrogomphus divaricatus (Fork Hunter)
Eusynthemis nigra (Black Tigertail)
Hemigomphus comitatus (Zebra Vicetail)
Nannodiplax rubra (Pygmy Percher)

Millaa Millaa Waterfall, 10 Dec [#20]

The waterfall itself is a leisure spot with Joe Public swimming; you have to follow the stream out to find odos. The rather oddly named Chorismagrion risi (Pretty Relict) was of interest here.

Chorismagrion risi (Pretty Relict)
Eusynthemis nigra (Black Tigertail)

Tully Gorge Lookout Track, 10 Dec [#21]

Just one of any interest, here, but a challenging in-flight shot in shadowy lighting conditions.

Dromaeschna forcipata (Green-striped Darner)

Archer Creek, 11 Dec [#22]

Here we bumped into a new species, even a new genus, that I’d never even heard of, Pentathemis membranulata (Metallic Tigerhawk). Not the greatest photos but a bit of a lucky grab.

Nososticta solida (Orange Threadtail)
Austrogomphus amphiclitus (Pale Hunter)
Hemicordilia intermedia (Yellow-spotted Emerald
Pentathemis membranulata (Metallic Tigerhawk)

Old Herbert River Crossing, 11 Dec [#23]

This was a very productive site and really delivered the goods with a perched Cruiser, Macromia tillyardi (Australian Cruiser). In Europe a perched Macromia (different species) is a holy grail.

Nososticta solida (Orange Threadtail)
Austrogomphus amphiclitus (Pale Hunter)
Brachydiplax denticauda (Palemouth)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Macromia tillyardi (Australian Cruiser)
Nannophlebia risi (Common Archtail)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Rhyothemis braganza (Iridescent Flutterer)

Innot Hot Springs, 11 Dec [#24]

Panic not, the dragonflies are not in the actual hot springs, there are ponds in that general area. This was my only meeting with Aciagrion fragile (Blue Slim) and thanks to my companions for the id.

Aciagrion fragile (Blue Slim)
Hydrobasileus brevistylus (Water Prince)
Potamarcha congener (Swampwatcher)
Tramea loewii (Common Glider)
Urothemis aliena (Red Baron)

South Johnstone Campground Road, 12 Dec [#25]

We made a number of stops up another campground road leading to a crossing over the South Johnstone River. There were a couple of interesting finds here not the least of which was Pseudocordulia circularis (Circle-tipped Mistfly).

Diphlebia euphoides (Tropical Rockmaster)
Indolestes tropicus (Tropical Needle)
Lestoidea sp (a Bluestreak male)
Synlestes tropicus (Tropical Needle)
Dromaeschna forcipata (Green-striped Darner)
Hemigomphus theischingeri (Rainforest Vicetail)
Pseudocordulia circularis (Circle-tipped Mistfly)

Henriette Creek, 12 Dec [#26]

Austroargiolestes aureus (Tropical Flatwing)

Murray Falls, 13 Dec [#27]

We met Orthetrum serapia (Green Skimmer) a number of times on this trip, making an interestinf comparison to a very similar looking old friend, Orthetrum sabina (Slender Skimmer).

Austrogomphus prasinus (Lemon-tipped Hunter)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Orthetrum caledonicum (Blue Skimmer)
Orthetrum serapia (Green Skimmer)
Orthetrum villosovittatum (Fiery Skimmer)

TYTO Wetlands, Ingham 14 & 15 Dec [#28]

An interesting stop for a few reasons. First, our accommodation was in the Tropixx Motel and we couldn’t help but wonder about the double-x in the name. Secondly, Ingham is home to the original “pub with no beer”, though it is now not the original building, it having burnt down, and it now has beer. Lastly, the wetland is named after the genus of true Barn Owls.

I had a very cooperative Rhyothemis princeps (Sapphire Flutterer) here, posing in plan view below a bridge.

Brachydiplax denticaude (Palemouth)
Diplacodes haematodes (Scarlet Percher)
Neurothemis stigmatizans (Painted Grasshawk)
Orthetrum sabina (Slender Skimmer)
Rhodothemis lieftincki (Red Arrow)
Rhyothemis graphiptera (Graphic Flutterer)
Rhyothemis princeps (Sapphire Flutterer)
Urothemis aliena (Red Baron)

Alligators Nest Swimming Hole, 16 Dec [#29]

First of all, there are no alligators in Australia and secondly, if there were, I doubt you’d want to go swimming with them. It was wonderful to see a female Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail), though, the female being the larger of the two sexes.

Petalura ingentissima (Giant Petaltail)

Josephine Falls Track, 17 Dec [#30]

Another walk up a forest track to another waterfall examining streams along the way. I sat out at first but eventually joined in to get a reasonable Oristicta filicicola (Slender Wiretail).

Chorismagarion risi (Pretty Relict)
Oristicta filicicola (Slender Wiretail)

Robert Road Park, 17Dec [#31]

This was parkland surrounded by housing estates with a rather scruffy stream that seemed more of a rubbish dump used by the local inhabitants. It was home to a very appealing Argiocnemis rubescens (Red-tipped Shadefly), though.

Argiocnemis rubescens (Red-tipped Shadefly)
Oristicta filicicola (Slender Wiretail)
Nannophlebia eludens (Elusive Archtail)

Posted in 2022, Australia, Trip reports

France, Sep 2022

Posted on 30 September, 2022 by JC — No Comments ↓

We have not returned to France for the last four years, in some ways because of our house in Spain, but largely also because of Covid-19 more recently. September 2022 provided our opportunity to cross the Channel again and renew friendships at our favourite campsite in Fanjeaux. Being late in the season, this was more about returning to France than hunting dragonflies.

Our plan, which in hindsight turned out to be a bit of a mistake, was originally to spend about three weeks of a 4-week trip at Fanjeaux. About half way down France is Rosnay in La Brenne, with its very pleasant but unassuming camping municipal, complete with lake and dragonflies. We’d stay there for a few nights to recuperate before completing the journey south.

As it turned out, we both began to get itchy feet at Fanjeaux and cut our stay down to two weeks. It was undoubtedly good to have renewed our friendship with the dairy sheep farm campsite owners but we grew to need a change. We decided to head off to an area between Marseillan and Meze, with which we’re familiar, but to a campsite new to us.

To be honest, it’s been an unscintillating year for dragonflies and a bad year for many other insects. This trip followed that pattern though it has to be said I didn’t put myself out.

Rosnay, Camping Municipal, 1st-4th Sept [#1]

This is a classic, unassuming camping municipal; no frills just a pleasant rural simple campsite. It is well positioned in La Brenne which, in a higher point of the season, is a hotbed of dragonfly activity. As well as having a lake itself, there are many locations with plenty of reason for study nearby. This was really just a few days stopover for a rest from the first part of the journey to prepare ourselves for the second leg to Fanjeaux.

I was very pleased to see Southern Darters here which were new to me at this location. Curiously, though I saw at least a dozen on reeds around the lake, they all proved to be females with not a male in sight – mine anyway.

Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Platycnemis pennipes (Blue Featherleg)
Sympetrum meridionale (Southern Darter)

Fanjeaux, Camping Les Brugues, 5th-20th Sept [#2]

A site I’ve been monitoring for many years that was relatively recently wrecked by being used to farm Koi Carp. The fish farmer has now been gone for 6 or 7 years, though. I was keen to see how it might be recovering, or otherwise, in the four years since we were last here.

Sadly, I suspect the answer is that it isn’t really recovering, certainly not to its former glory when it comes to dragonfly habitat. There are still huge carp in the lake, not Koi but I presumed the Grass Carp that destroyed all the floating vegetation and which is still utterly absent. I did see several species but only in low numbers. Most entertaining was the delightful Violet Dropwing (Trithemis annulata). New to this site for me was the Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta). I have a sneaking suspicion that there was an Emerald, probably a Yellow-spotted Emerald (Somatochlora flavomaculata), flying around but it’s unconfirmed.

Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Chalcolestes viridis (Western Willow Spreadwing)
Erythromma lindenii (Blue-eye)
Platycnemis pennipes (Blue Featherleg)
Aeshna cyanea (Southern Hawker)
Aeshna mixta (Migrant Hawker)
Anax imperator (Blue Emperor)
Orthetrum cancellatum (Black-tailed Skimmer)
Crocothemis erythraea (Broad Scarlet)
Sympetrum striolatum (Common Darter)
Trithemis annulata (Violet Dropwing)

Lac de Lenclas , 9th Sept [#3]

One of my favourite sites, normally, relatively close to Fanjeaux. On this occasion we chase a poor day to visit and the weather was not in our favour; it began raining soon after we arrived. We saw just two species and the camera didn’t come out.

Platycnemis pennipes (Blue Featherleg)
Trithemis annulata (Violet Dropwing)

Gruissan, Canal de la Robine, 19th Sept [#4] This is on our usual route back to the autoroute from Gruissan. It’s never exactly heaving and now it certainly wasn’t though I did finally find my first male Southern Darter (Sympetrum meridionale) of the trip.

Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Sympetrum meridionale (Southern Darter)

Marseillan, Camping Villemarin, 21st-26th Sept [#5]

This really was just opportunistic. The main track in the modest campsite, an aire naturelle of 25 pitches, was named avenue des libellules. There were indeed a few libellules zooming about but only two species that I could determine.

Chalcolestes viridis (Western Willow Spreadwing)
Sympetrum meridionale (Southern Darter)

Posted in 2022, France, Trip reports

Small Red Females

Posted on 18 August, 2022 by JC — No Comments ↓

[This is something of a partner article to Large Red Females in that both Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) and Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) females are polymorphic, i.e. they come in multiple colour forms, and in the naming of the colour forms of both species some confusion exists in our publications.]

The UK’s two most favoured field guides [at the time of writing, 2022] are Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland by Brooks/Cham/Lewington, which is an illustrative guide, and Britain’s Dragonflies by Smallshire/Swash, which is a photographic guide. Some people prefer illustrations whilst others prefer photographs. Personally, I think they make excellent complementary companion volumes.

Both volumes show examples of three colour forms which, I think, matches most people’s current expectations. They do not agree on terminology, however.

Smallshire/Swash specifically states three colour forms and names them:

typica (the “normal” form);
melanogastrum (a dark abdomen occurring “quite frequently”);
erythrogastrum (an “uncommon” red form, like the male – androchrome).

However, Brooks/Cham/Lewington doesn’t specifically state a number of female forms but illustrates and describes three:

erythrogastrum (entirely red);
melanogastrum (entirely bronze-black);
intermedia (black but marked red “on the basal segments”).

The illustration of intermedia in Brooks/Cham/Lewington matches that of typica in Smallshire/Swash. Thus, intermedia and typica in these two volumes appear to be one and the same thing – synonyms of each other.

So what is this then? It’s not all black [melanotum]; it’s not all red [erythrogastrum]. This looks like typica, or, at least it did to me until I realized that the central black area did not extend over the whole of S4. Concentrating on taking a photograph rather than detail, I frequently suffer from “viewfinder blindness”. In this specimen, S4 is mainly red.

Returning to 1988 when R. R. (Dick) Askew published the first European Field Guide, The Dragonflies of Europe, we see a slightly different picture. His volume is quite detailed and specific in its description:

Females of C. tenellum are polymorphic, four colour forms being recognizable:

typica

S1-3 are dorsally red except for a black spot at the base of S1 and black apex to S3, S4-8 are dorsally mainly black and S9, 10 are mainly reddish

erythrogastrum

The homeochrome form, in which the abdomen is as red as in the male.

intermedium

The abdomen is dorsally red but S6-8 sometimes also S3-5 are apically black.

melanogastrum

The dorsal surface of the abdomen, except to intersegmental incisures, is almost entirely bronzed black…

Here, typica and intermedium/intermedia are distinct and clearly not synonyms of each other. His descriptions of typica, erythrogastrum and melanogastrum do match the three illustrations offered by Smallshire/Swash and Brooks/Cham/Lewington, it’s just that Brooks/Cham/Lewington uses the term intermedia instead of typica.

Those who tend to use FIeld Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe by K-D Dijkstra/Lewington may not be surprised. Descriptions in editions of this volume (2006 & 2020) match those of Askew:

Four colour forms of female are recognized … the forms differ by the extent of black on the abdomen and face:

typica

abdomen black with most of S1-3 and S9-10 red, extent of black my vary slightly

erythrogastrum

abdomen and face all red as in the male

melanogastrum

entire upper side of abdomen and most of face black

intermedium

includes all largely red but black-marked varieties between the first two forms.

For some reason, the 2020 edition of Dijkstra/Lewington modifies three of the names, presumably for language gender matching reasons, to melanogastra, erythrogastra, and intermedia.

So, in both Askew and Dijkstra, intermedium/intermedia is a fitting description of my specimen above that doesn’t fit any of those limiting their descriptions to three forms.

If this classification dates from 1988 [actually it dates from Sélys in the 19th century], what happened to the fourth form in our two most frequently used volumes? My suspicion regarding the Brooks/Cham/Lewington publication is that they smashed together intermedia and typica – the latter could be regarded as a specific format of intermedia – intermedia thus becoming everything between the all-black melanogastrum and the all-red erythrogastrum.

I’m going with the four colour form classifications in Askew and Dijkstra.

Posted in Articles

The Netherlands, Aug 2022

Posted on 15 August, 2022 by JC — No Comments ↓

My normal pathological avoidance of the school holidays throughout late July and August, coupled with the fact that we’ve tended to visit the southwest of France as opposed to the northeast, have reduced my chances of seeing the Moustached Darter/Vagrant Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum). Consequently, to the surprise of some friends on the Continent, where it can be quite prevalent, it was a species missing from my catalogue.

For a couple of years now, I have been e-friends with Antoine van der Heijden in the Netherlands, who is active both on the worldwide odonata Facebook group and in our own UK Facebook odonata group. With (hopefully) the worst of Covid-19 having passed, in the middle of 2022 our stars aligned and Antoine kindly offered to guide me around some of his favoured Netherlands hot spots during a mutually convenient week in August. The Moustached Darter/Vagrant Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum) was my main target but Antoine had mentioned a few other species that it would also be great to see.

I found what turned out to be an excellent adults only [that should fix my rugrats issue] self catering apartment at Jelly’s Hoeve, Havelte. Where possible, I prefer self-catering options. Jelly’s Hoeve proved to be perfect. [Hoeve is Dutch for farm.]

We travelled on Stena Line from Harwich to the Hook of Holland overnight on Sunday 7th August and returned overnight on Friday 12th. I’d arranged to meet Antoine on Tuesday 9th, once we had settled in. I have never been so lucky with the weather; our trip coincided with a week of unbroken clear skies and high temperatures; perfect weather for chasing dragonflies.

Antoine was a wonderful, congenial host and spared no effort fixing as many gaps as he could in my catalogue. Happily, with a shared interest and some shared outlooks on life, we enjoyed each others company.

Below is my map of the locations visited with species and basic notes. Among the 26 species we saw, Antoine found me 5 “lifers” (shown in bold type). The first 4 locations were Antoine’s tour; the 5th location was our opportunist visit to old friends en route home.

There are good reasons to return to the Netherlands earlier in the season for some additional species. 😉

Weerribben-Wieden NP, 9th Aug [#1]

The Weerribben-Wieden National Park is said to be the largest wetland in north-western Europe. It was created by the digging of peat and the cutting of reeds. Much of the area is not accessible on foot and without Antoine’s knowledge, I just wouldn’t have known where to start. The point on the map marks the parking area in the northern section of the park. From which we followed paths essentially north.

We had very soon hit my main target, the Moustached Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum). Most amazing, I think, were the clouds of Spotted Darters (Sympetrum depressiusculum) rising from the reeds. These I had seen before in southern France but not in such numbers. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any dragonfly in such numbers and I was very happy to see them again. Happy turned to excitement when “Hawk-eyes” van der Heijden found me a Siberian Winter Damselfly (Sympecma paedisca) lurking quietly low down in vegetation at the side of our path.

We spent the whole day here and totalled an astonishing 21 species.

Chalcolestes viridis (Western Willow Spreadwing)
Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Erythromma najas (Large Redeye)
Lestes sponsa (Common Spreadwing)
Sympecma fusca (Common Winter Damsel)
Sympecma paedisca (Siberian Winter Damsel)
Aeshna cyanea (Blue Hawker)
Aeshna mixta (Migrant Hawker)
Aeshna grandis (Brown Hawker)
Aeshna viridis (Green Hawker)
Anax imperator (Blue Emperor)
Orhetrum cancellatum (Black-tailed Skimmer)
Crocothemis erythraea (Broad Scarlet)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)
Somatochlora flavomaculata (Yellow-spotted Emerald)
Sympetrum danae (Black Darter)
Sympetrum depressiusculum (Spotted Darter)
Sympetrum sanguineum (Ruddy Darter)
Sympetrum striolatum (Common Darter)
Sympetrum vulgatum (Moustached Darter)

Ruiner Aa, 10th Aug [#2]

In stark contrast to the imposing National Park of Weerribben-Wieden, this was a superficially unassuming strip of land between two waterways, one no more than a stream, surrounded by agricultural fields. We parked beside a bridge over the main waterway and spent about 4 hours walking along two sections bounded by further bridges. The main attraction here was one of my stretch goals, the utterly delightful Banded Darter (Sympetrum pedemontanum), which we saw in good numbers.

To my surprise in such a restricted area, we notched up 14 species here.

Calopteryx splendens (Banded Demoiselle)
Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Erythromma viridulum (Small Redeye)
Lestes sponsa (Common Spreadwing)
Chalcolestes viridis (Western Willow Spreadwing)
Platycnemis pennipes (Blue Featherleg)
Aeshna mixta (Migrant Hawker)
Aeshna grandis (Brown Hawker)
Anax imperator (Blue Emperor)
Crocothemis erythraea (Broad Scarlet)
Sympetrum depressiuscullum (Spotted Darter)
Sympetrum pedemontanum (Banded Darter)
Sympetrum sanguineum (Ruddy Darter)
Sympetrum vulgatum (Moustached Darter)

Fochteloërveen, 10th Aug [#3]

To quote the literature, “Fochteloërveen is a famous Dutch peat bog area on the border of the provinces Drenthe and Friesland”. Antoine took us here for the second half of the afternoon on 10th, once I dragged myself away from the Banded Darters.

There were a couple of attractions here not the least of which was the possibility of the unattractively named Bog Hawker (Aeshna subarctica), which I had never been anywhere near seeing. We did find it but it did not pose favourably. There were also Small Spreadwings (Lestes virens), which I had seen before but was more than happy to see again.

During our 2-hour visit, Antoine was rewarded for his efforts by seeing a dark form female Small Red Damsel (Ceriagrion tenellum) for only the 2nd time.

Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
Lestes sponsa (Common Spreadwing)
Lestes virens vestalis (Small Spreadwing)
Chalcolestes viridis (Western Willow Spreadwing)
Ceriagrion tenellum (Small Red Damsel)
Aeshna cyanea (Blue Hawker)
Aeshna mixta (Migrant Hawker)
Aeshna subarctica (Bog Hawker)
Libellula quadrimaculata (Four-spotted Chaser)
Orthetrum cancellatum (Black-tailed Skimmer)
Sympetrum danae (Black Darter)

Kiersche Wijde, 11th Aug [#4]

This was another, more southern section of the Weerribben-Wieden NP. On our first day we had seen the Green Hawkers (Aeshna viridis) but they had flown tirelessly and fast so I failed to get a decent picture. Antoine thought we might get another chance here where there were the necessary waterways containing Water Soldier plants.

It is worth noting that in the UK the Green-eyed hawker (Aeshna isoceles) is associated with Water Soldier whereas in Holland it is the Green Hawker that is tightly bound to Water Soldier.

Regrettably, on this day we saw neither. I did, however, have fun with an obliging Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) head-on.

Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
Erythromma viridulum (Small Redeye)
Lestes sponsa (Common Spreadwing)
Sympecma paedisca (Siberian Winter Damsel)
Aeshna mixta (Migrant Hawker)
Aeshna grandis (Brown Hawker)
Orthetrum cancellatum (Black-tailed Skimmer)
Sympetrum depressiusculum (Spotted Darter)
Sympetrum vulgatum (Moustached Darter)

Fahrenheitlaan, Hilversum, 12th Aug [#5]

Our route back to the Hook of Holland and our overnight ferry took us past Hilversum where some friends, a former colleague of Carol, live. Visiting them was a relaxing way to use up a day otherwise set aside for travel. However, I did once again get to see my Moustached Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum), a female, in their garden.

- Ischnura elegans (Common Bluetail)
- Enallagma cyathigerum (Common Bluet)
- Sympetrum vulgatum (Moustached Darter)

Posted in 2022, Holland, Netherlands, Trip reports

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Orthetrum conundrum

Gender neutral

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Mature Males

Pruinosty

Frons

2ary genitalia

Females/Immature Males

Abdominal Markings

A Conundrum

Australia, Dec 2022 [FNQ 2022]

France, Sep 2022

Small Red Females

The Netherlands, Aug 2022

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