Ok, so small brown dragonflies seen in June (so we don't have to worry about darters). Four options: from top left clockwise - Female Scarce Chaser, Four spot Chaser, female Broad-bodied Chaser and female Black-tailed Skimmer. (there's also Keeled Skimmer - but I can't find a decent photo, so perhaps some kind reader will post one. But in any case it emerges slightly later, and is more likely to get confused with a common darter)

Let's eliminate the skimmer first of all, she doesn't have the "saddlebags" - the brown markings on the wings where they join the body. Only chasers have these and it's diagnostic. saddlebags = chaser. Note though that the yellow "scallops" formed by those black lines running each side of the abdomen can look very like the yellow flashes on the sides of the broad-bodied chaser: a quick in-flight view can confuse. Rely on behaviour here. Skimmers will usually land on the ground, chasers on a perch. Of course the fact that my photo shows a skimmer on a perch indicates that it's not entirely reliable! But I've never known a chaser to land on the ground.

Now for the chasers: Broad-bodied does what it says on the tin, broad and flat body. Of course if they settle and pose it's easy. In flight note that the wings are clearer than the rather smudged wings of the other two chasers with their various black markings. (Of course this again leads to confusion with BT Skimmer, which has even clearer wings)

The four-spot and scarce chasers can be confused: both have two distinct black markings on each wing: the four spot has them equally spaced at the node (halfway down the wing) and the pterostigma, while the scarce has them on the pterostigma and the tip of the wing. ie clustered to the far end of the wing. This leads to a "dirty tip" effect in the scarce.

One final point to note is the "golden ladder" the colouring of the wing cells immediately behind the leading edge of the fore wings. In BTS this is yellow, in scarce and four-spot it's gold, and the bbc doesn't have it at all.

super stuff , and its great to see you have emerged on here again



I thought we only had four spots around here but late last year I suddenly realized some of them were indeed broad bodied so maybe with your guidance I can find a black tailed, which I think there is records off if my memory serves me correctly.



Dave

A big thanks for this HD, a very useful guide .

Well GOOD to see you posting again Andy.

Being relevent for ID purposes I have taken the opportunity to make it a "Sticky" to keep it at the top

Now, perhaps you can settle a little argument for me, I say female bbc but meself says immature male:



Denis.

Hi Dennis
Female: no anal claspers which a male would have.

It's been a while - but I've been busy organising the norfolk butterfly survey - last year this year, and 275 tetrads still to go