A Mixed Pairing in Tandem

Despite the cloudy conditions Saturday morning, I thought I would make another visit to Nethergong to see what was about and walk the stream to see if any Willow Emerald Damselflies could be found. I hadn't been walking long when I disturbed a pair of damselflies in tandem which flew briefly before landing soon after. A quick look at them revealed a male Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) in tandem with a female Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis). I have seen and photographed this mixed pairing a few times in the past few years and it was only a few days ago that I saw a pair of Willow Emerald Damselflies in tandem with a male Emerald Damselfly also attached. After a bit of moving around carefully to get a better angle, I wanted to document this sighting again with the camera and spent the next few minutes taking a number of photos.

 

 Male Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) in tandem with a

female Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis)

 

Female Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis) being clasped by a

male Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa)

 

As it was quite cloudy, they thankfully didn't fly off at all for a while and this gave me the opportunity to study them and wonder what was actually going on here. I don't really know the reason why this mistake with Emerald Damselflies in particular is made but I can only assume that at first, the male Emerald Damselfly believes that the female he is grabbing is a female of the same species. I would presume that the male claspers on each species only fits the female of the same species perfectly and when joined, the female is aware that she is joined to the same species. Normally at this stage, either mating takes place and then ovipositing. When joined in tandem, I generally see the male moving the female in order that she will then move into position to mate but on this occasion, I saw no attempt from the male Emerald Damselfly to consciously attempt to mate. Was he aware that he had paired up with the wrong species as per the grip on the claspers or did the female Willow Emerald Damselfly know that she had been clasped by the wrong species, and knowing this, was not going to attempt to mate. Either way, they stayed in tandem for about 30 minutes and only occasionally flew from time to time and when perched again, this did provide some nice photo opportunities without all the clutter in the background.

 

Male Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) in tandem with a

female Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis)

 

From time to time, the female Willow Emerald Damselfly would seem to get agitated as if she wanted to be let go but the male was adamant to hang on to her. After a few more photos taken and with no signs of them parting, I left them in peace and moved on. An interesting sighting to watch and photograph again and a look on the internet would suggest this species more than most others, will sometimes attempt to mate with other species. I couldn't find much other information on the reasoning of why this may happen and whether it is generally a case of mistaken identity. Whatever the reasons, another interesting aspect of the lives of these stunning group of insects.

 

Male Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) in tandem with a

female Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis)