David Element
Wildlife Photography and Digital Video Images
____________________________________________________
Dragonflies and Damselflies 18
HIGHLAND DARTER Sympetrum nigrescens
COMMON DARTER Sympetrum striolatum (m)
SOUTHERN DARTER Sympetrum meridionale
SOUTHERN SKIMMER DRAGONFLY Orthetrum brunneum (m)
GREEN-EYED HOOKTAIL DRAGONFLY Onychogomphus forcipatus (m)
- The first picture illustrates a Highland Darter Dragonfly Sympetrum nigrescens.
This insect was photographed in the Ardnamurchan
Peninsula of northwest Scotland, and it shows the characteristically
darker markings of this dragonfly when compared with those of the very
closely related Common
Darter Sympetrum
striolatum which is
illustrated in the second photograph and also
elsewhere on this website, as is the
Black Darter Sympetrum danae.
After many years of debate the classification of the Highland Darter
remains unclear. There are two schools of thought. The first of these
presents the view that S.
nigrescens is simply a melanic form
or sub-species of S. striolatum and the second that it is a
full-blown species in its own right. There does not seem to be any
documentation settling this argument on the internet at the time of
writing and the author would be grateful for any feedback from experts
working with these insects, particularly if conclusive DNA analysis has
now been performed. Observation of the extent of the black facial
markings of darters is an important aspect of definitive identification of
several very similar species. Most of these photographs have been scanned
from transparencies so the resolution is poor by comparison with the modern
digital photographs that have been used on most of these pages and they have
been taken from the wrong angle or from too far away to enable these
differences to be seen clearly – indeed it may be necessary to obtain very
close-up portraits or to examine the insect under a magnifying lens to be
certain of the identity. At this point in time no newer photographs are
available of Highland Darters.
- The remaining three illustrations are of European species, all of which are absent from the UK. These dragonflies were photographed at different locations in France. The Southern Darter Sympetrum meridionale is a migratory species of a rather lighter build than the other red/brown darters. The mature male Southern Skimmer Orthetrum brunneum may be readily distinguished from other northern European skimmer dragonflies by the blue pruinescence which extends from the front of the thorax to the very end of the abdomen. The male Green-eyed Hooktail Onychogomphus forcipatus is shown in a typical riverside pose atop a well-rounded stone.
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