Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) Nymph

Having acquainted myself in the past few weeks with the key features of the Black tailed Skimmer, I thought I would spend part of last weekend trying to net a few Broad bodied Chaser nymphs which closely resemble the Black tailed Skimmer and Four spotted Chaser nymphs. Nethergong was my chosen destination which has a healthy population of this species and an hour spent there at the large pond produced around 15 Broad bodied Chaser nymphs of varying sizes. One of the key features to look out for is the deep serrations on the labial palps. On the Four spotted Chaser, the serrations on the labial palps are quite shallow and even more shallow on the Black tailed Skimmer. A quick check through the 10X hand lens confirmed this along with the dorsal spines on S7 and S8 which are present on both Chaser species but not on the Black tailed Skimmer nymphs. Another quite reliable feature to look for on the Chaser species is the yellow fleck on the side of the labial mask which is absent on the Skimmer nymphs as well as the tips of the eyes on the Broad bodied Chaser nymph lying above the level of the top of the head. Having only taken a few photos in the past of the Broad bodied Chaser nymphs, I decided to bring back a few well grown individuals to photograph in my indoor tank before returning the nymph back to the pond at Nethergong. The tank was already set up waiting and with only a large round stone inside placed up against the glass, it wasn't long until the nymph used this to move around and gave me the opportunity to fire off a number of photos to show off some of the key features. The Chaser and Skimmer nymphs spend their time in the mud and silt at the bottom where they wait for the prey to come to them. Often with only their eyes above the surface, they then strike when prey gets near enough. Incidentally, I also managed to net a Four spotted Chaser nymph at the weekend which I have since photographed and released so hopefully this will form the next post in the next few days once I have edited them.

 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph - side view
 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph showing

deep serrations to the labial palps

 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph showing

 small dorsal spines on S7 and S8

 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph

 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph showing

deep serrations to the labial palps

 

 Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph showing

deep serrations to the labial palps

 

Broad bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) nymph