Broad bodied Chaser Nymph

I spent an evening in the week photographing a Broad bodied Chaser nymph in my indoor tank which I found whilst checking in the pond. They seem to be doing well in there along with a few other species I introduced in there. All being well, I hope to photograph a few species as they emerge later in the year. I have yet to photograph the emergence of the Broad bodied and Four spotted Chaser so this is definitely on the 'target' list this year. After preparing the tank, I spent an hour watching the nymph where thankfully it mainly stood still which provided me with plenty of opportunities to photograph it from different angles and try to capture some of the key features. The Broad bodied Chaser nymph has deeper serrations than the Four spotted Chaser on the labial palps which can be clearly seen in the lose up photos. Also viewed from straight on, the tips of the eyes just reach above the top of the head. I must admit that they are not the best looking of nymphs but are well adapted to lying in the silt and mud and waiting for prey to come to them, hence all the debris which is still clinging on to the hairs. In only a few months they will make that dramatic transformation and turn into a stunning looking dragonfly. Hopefully a visit to a friends pond in the next day or so to collect a few Large Red Damselfly nymphs to photograph in the tank and try to improve on last years images. I shall hopefully post these in due coarse all being well.

Broad bodied Chaser Nymph