Small Red-eyed Damselfly

(Canon Powershot A95, Kowa TSN-823 + 32xWLER)


Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Boathouse, Peterborough Rowing Lake, Cambs, 31.7.06
Canon Powershot A95

Red-eyed Damselfly, Boathouse, Peterborough Rowing Lake, Cambs, 31.7.06
Canon Powershot A95
A new species for me, the population of this small version of the Red-eyed Damselfly is rapidly spreading northwards through the country. This population on the 'orrible weed on the surface of this loop of water was found by Brian The Natural Stone a few days ago, with his usual nose for sniffing out a 'find'. With a little knowledge, they were very easy to pick out from their larger cousins (also present there in good numbers). The best characters were small size (easiest when both species are presence); the extent of blue in segment 8 of the abdomen (ie near the tip, the blue comes well up the sides, while on Red-eyed it is only in the lower half [not well illustrated in my books]); the more orange colour of the eye (blood red in Red-eyed); more blue on the early abdomenal segments.